House Republican leaders are moving ahead with a series of health care votes next week, likely including GOP moderates’ amendment to extend enhanced Obamacare subsidies.
The House GOP leadership met this morning with the “Five Families” — groups that represent the key factions of their conference — to get a gut-check on next week’s votes.
Following that private discussion, Republican leaders were leaning toward the plan they hatched on Thursday, which would be to allow moderates to have a vote on their ACA proposal, according to sources in the room. As always, Republican leadership could alter their plans.
But there was an understanding among Republicans in the room over the difficult political position moderates are in and that they need something to help them as health care costs soar.
There was also talk of continuing to address health care next year — after the Dec. 31 subsidy cliff. Speaker Mike Johnson has told us that he intends to spend the first half of next year working on health care policy.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise told reporters the amendment vote was “heavily discussed” in the meeting and is still under consideration. “We’ve just got to work a few things out,” he added.
“We’re coming to the final points of the plan,” Johnson said.
House Republicans’ game plan. Johnson told key moderates Thursday that he’ll give them a vote on an amendment to the House GOP’s health care package next week.
The amendment is expected to resemble Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick’s (R-Pa.) proposal to extend the tax credits for two years with reforms. Johnson also told the moderates he’d move ahead without adding language to restrict abortion funding as long as he could get buy-in from the rank-and-file.
That’s a red line for some moderates who back an ACA patch. That’s because of concerns that adding stronger Hyde Amendment-style language could shut down exchanges entirely in some states that require abortion coverage in marketplace plans. New York is one of those states.
“That’s been a concern from the start,” Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) told us. “Look, I’ve supported Hyde, I’ve voted for Hyde, I don’t believe taxpayer funds should be used for abortion. But there’s clearly a challenge with 12 states in which that would create a real problem.”
This is an interesting decision for Johnson. And there’s really no telling how this will shake out. If the amendment is adopted, moderates would be comfortable voting for the bill. But hardline conservatives may revolt. If the amendment fails, moderates may find it hard to support the final package.
Either way, it will be difficult to hold together the votes for this health care package.
Discharge petition progress. There are still two different discharge petitions to set up standalone votes on the subsidies — and those will remain active.
Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) has 39 signatures on his petition. Fitzpatrick has 23 on his. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has 214 signatures on his petition, which would set up a vote on a three-year clean extension of the subsidies.
Moderates who want to advance an ACA cliff compromise have been working together to build support for the Gottheimer and Fitzpatrick petitions, and Democrats have been joining both.
Jeffries told reporters Friday that he’ll weigh in soon. If he backed a compromise effort, that could put it over the top.
The House is only in one more week before the end of the year, so we’re not sure how long Jeffries is planning to wait here.
“We’re actively reviewing those two discharge petitions, and we’ll have more to say about it early next week,” Jeffries said.
