Will we be able to fix the health care this year? President Trump rolled out "The Great Healthcare Plan" on Thursday, his proposal to fix the train wreck Democrats created with Obamacare. House Speaker Mike Johnson had already put forward the Lower Health Care Premiums for All Americans Act. Democrats remain wedded to Obamacare and subsidies that have done nothing but send premiums through the roof. The question now is whether any real reform can get through Congress when one party refuses to budge.
Unfortunately, the outlook is grim. Bipartisan Senate negotiations over a short-term healthcare package are already teetering on collapse. Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio), who is leading a bipartisan group of senators on that plan, says the plan cannot move forward without Democratic leadership on board with the reform. And, you know, they won’t be. The group has been working on a deal to renew enhanced Affordable Care Act premium tax credits while adding some common-sense reforms. But that’s where the roadblock is. Schumer wants a "clean" three-year extension of the COVID-era subsidies that expired at the end of 2025, calling it the "only humane and right thing to do.” With Schumer facing a potential primary challenge from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, there isn’t a chance he will budge.
Even if a short-term proposal were to pass, it wouldn’t solve the bigger problem of skyrocketing premiums under Obamacare. Trump's proposal would scrap the pandemic subsidies altogether and send the money directly to consumers rather than to insurance companies. Democrats won’t go for that.
But, according to Moreno, Trump’s plan isn’t the problem.
"No, the biggest wrench in our negotiations is that the Democrat leader has basically made public statements that, to me, sounds like he doesn't want his conference to make a deal," Moreno said. "Because what he doesn't want is a reform. He wants a political issue."
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Moreno says if Schumer will not back an extension with reforms, the bipartisan group should just pack it in. "I need to hear some affirmative commentary from the Democrat leader that he would support an extension with reforms," he said. "If the answer is no, then it doesn't seem like we're gonna have a deal."
Schumer seemed intent on proving Moreno right. He warned Republicans that blocking his clean extension would have political consequences. "Mark my words — if Republicans don't do it, America will know, and the political price they pay will be severe," he said.
According to Schumer, the Republican health care proposals are nonstarters until subsidies are extended. He claims some Republicans want to use the situation to push abortion measures or privatization. "But it doesn't matter. We can debate all those things down the road," he said.
Yeah, right. Democrats don’t want Republicans to pass an alternative to Obamacare. Does anyone think either Johnson’s or Trump’s health care proposals will get a fair shake by the Democrats if Obamacare subsidies are extended first? The sad reality is that Democrats have no interest in solving the healthcare crisis they created. They certainly will not go along with any plan proposed by Trump or the GOP. The only way a comprehensive fix to Obamacare has a chance is if Republicans nuke the filibuster, and they’ve already signaled that’s not going to happen.
So, enjoy your higher premiums, everyone; they’re going to be here for a while.
