Senate Republicans want to send money directly to Americans rather than extending enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies that have lowered health insurance costs for millions of Americans.
Republican senators Mike Crapo and Bill Cassidy on Monday, Dec. 8, unveiled a bill that would deposit $1,000 to $1,500 into health savings accounts for eligible consumers. This money would be in lieu of extending COVID-19-era enhanced tax credits that sharply reduced health premiums under the Affordable Care Act, often called "Obamacare."
Senate Majority Leader John Thune confirmed the Senate will vote Thursday on the Crapo-Cassidy bill alongside a Democratic proposal to extend the ACA's expiring enhanced premium tax credits for three years.
Cassidy, chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, has said that empowering patients with cash could make them better health consumers by enabling them to bargain for lower costs.
But health policy experts say some lower-income consumers would likely end up paying more for Obamacare coverage under the Crapo-Cassidy bill.
