"Enhanced Obamacare premium subsidies benefiting over 20 million Americans expired at the end of last year. It was such a big deal that the need to address it became the principal Democratic rationale for triggering the longest government shutdown in U.S. history last October. It remained a big deal as 2026 arrived: The House actually passed a "clean" three-year extension of the subsidies on January 8, with 17 Republicans joining Democrats on the vote."
"Republicans were all over the place on health-care costs more generally, including the Republican in the White House. Some tried to change the subject to non-insurance health-care cost issues like pharmaceuticals. Others spoke of some huge conservative health-care overhaul that would be enacted on a party-line vote using budget reconciliation (a sort of One Big Beautiful Bill Act 2.0). On January 15, Donald Trump himself suddenly announced he was unveiling a "Great Healthcare Plan" that turned out to be a hodgepodge of old Republican gimmicks"
Enhanced Obamacare premium subsidies benefiting over 20 million Americans expired at the end of the year. The House passed a "clean" three-year extension on January 8 with 17 Republicans joining Democrats, and Senate negotiators engaged in bipartisan talks. Republican positions varied, with some shifting focus to pharmaceuticals and others proposing a large conservative overhaul via budget reconciliation. On January 15, Donald Trump unveiled a "Great Healthcare Plan" composed largely of familiar Republican proposals and vague promises without concrete legislation. A federal mass-deportation surge in Minneapolis caused deaths, widespread outrage, and a partial government shutdown, derailing bipartisan health-care negotiations and effectively collapsing efforts to renew the subsidies.
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