House GOP Passes Healthcare Package That Kills Obamacare Subsidies

House Republicans have approved a narrow package designed to lower health care costs for some Americans in the coming years—marking a win for party leadership even as some of their own members complain it falls woefully short of addressing rising prices in 2026, Sarah Ferris, Tami Luhby, and Ellis Kim reported for CNN.

House Republicans are notably sidestepping the issue of expiring enhanced Obamacare subsidies that were enacted during the pandemic to help consumers afford premiums. (Photo: NOBama NoMas Wikimedia Commons)

Speaker Mike Johnson and his team aggressively pushed the health care plan to the floor this week, vowing it would be the first step in a broader GOP agenda to lower costs next year.

They are notably sidestepping, however, the issue of expiring enhanced Obamacare subsidies that were enacted during the pandemic to help consumers afford premiums.

Those tax credits are set to expire at the end of the month, a move that would spike insurance premiums for tens of millions of Americans next year.

Instead, the House GOP package would allow small businesses—as well as self-employed individuals—to band together across industries to buy coverage through association health plans in an effort to lower premiums.

The bill would also restore federal funding for cost-sharing subsidies that help lower-income Obamacare enrollees reduce deductibles and other out-of-pocket health care expenses.