Trump says it ‘may be necessary’ to extend Obamacare subsidies

(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump now says extending Affordable Care Act subsidies “may be necessary” as the enrollment deadline looms for millions of Americans who are set to see their premiums skyrocket in the new year.

“Somebody said I want to extend it for two years. I don’t want to extend it for two years. I’d rather not extend them at all,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Tuesday night, pushing back on reports that the White House was going to pitch a plan that would have included a two-year extension of the subsidies.

Trump, though, notably went on to say “some kind of an extension may be necessary to get something else done because the unaffordable care act has been a disaster. It’s a disaster.”

The comments come after a fight over the health care tax credits on Capitol Hill that resulted in the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, as Democrats pushed for an extension while Republicans largely balked. 

A deal to end the shutdown in the Senate included Majority Leader John Thune promising to allow a vote on a bill of Democrats’ choosing related to the Affordable Care Act in December. 

But House Speaker Mike Johnson, who during the funding battle called the subsidies a “boondoggle,” said he wouldn’t commit to a vote on ACA subsidies in the House.

“Am I going to guarantee a vote on ACA unreformed COVID-era subsidies that is just a boondoggle to insurance companies and robs the taxpayer? We got a lot of work to do on that,” Johnson said in mid-November. “We, the Republicans, would demand a lot of reforms before anything like that was ever possible. And we have to go through that deliberative process.” 

Some vulnerable Republicans, though, have pushed Johnson to hold a vote on the issue.

A poll from KFF taken right before the federal government shutdown began showed 78% of Americans said they want the ACA marketplace tax credits extended — including 59% of Republicans.

The clock is ticking for a solution for the estimated 22 million ACA enrollees currently receiving a tax credit to lower monthly premiums. December 15 is the deadline for Americans to sign up for or change a plan that begins coverage on Jan. 1. The last day to enroll is marketplace health plans for 2026 is Jan. 15.

Congress is currently out of town for the Thanksgiving recess. Trump is spending the holiday at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida. 

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, on Monday, said the issue was a “topic of discussion that’s happening very frequently and robustly inside the West Wing” and that Trump was involved in the talks but didn’t reveal any further details.

Trump, on Air Force One on Tuesday, was pressed further on when he will unveil his health care plan and what may be included.

“Well, we’re looking at different alternatives. I mean, I like my plan the best,” Trump said before going on to repeat his idea to pay Americans directly to spend on health care.

“Don’t give any money to the insurance companies, give it to the people directly. Let ’em go out, buy their own healthcare plan. And we’re looking at that, if, if that can work. We’re looking at that. That’s sort of taken off,” Trump said on Tuesday.

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