Four Republicans have joined Democrats in the US House of Representatives in a last-ditch effort to force a vote on extending healthcare subsidies.
Enough House members on Wednesday signed a petition to bring to a vote a measure that would extend the subsidies, which are used by millions of Americans and are set to expire at the end of the year.
But that vote has yet to be scheduled – and even if it is passes the House, it faces an uncertain future in the Senate.
Lawmakers may not move quickly enough to avoid the expiry of the Covid-era subsidies, and an accompanying rise in insurance premiums, because the chamber will be in recess from Thursday until the new year.
On Wednesday, the House passed a Republican-backed healthcare measure that did not include an extension of the subsidies.
That measure aims to lower premiums for some people while raising them for others, starting in 2027. It would also expand access to association health plans that allow self-employed individuals and small businesses to band together to purchase group insurance. That bill will now go to the Senate.
Democrats were unified in voting against the legislation, and in pushing for a subsidy extension.
Without the subsidies, the costs for insurance through the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare, could more than double for many people.
Joining the Democrats were a group of moderate Republicans, who signed what is called a discharge petition – which allows members to bring measures to the floor for a full vote.
The House could now be forced to vote in the near future on a measure that would extend the subsidies for another three years. But with recess looming, it seems likely that any vote will take place after the subsidies officially expire.
All Democrats signed the discharge petition to force a vote on the subsidies, along with four Republicans – Pennsylvania’s Ryan Mackenzie, Rob Bresnahan and Brian Fitzpatrick, as well as New York’s Mike Lawler.
“Our only request was a floor vote on this compromise, so that the American People’s voice could be heard on this issue,” Fitzpatrick said in a statement.
“As I’ve stated many times before, the only policy that is worse than a clean three-year extension without any reforms, is a policy of complete expiration without any bridge,” he went on to say.
On Tuesday, House Speaker Mike Johnson said there would be no vote on the subsidies because Republicans could not agree on the best way to extend them. Johnson wanted any extension to be offset with spending cuts.
But 24 hours later, moderate Republicans – many of whom expected to be in tough re-election battles come November – pushed past Johnson.
Should the discharge petition pass the House, it will go to the Senate, where it currently has some Republican support, but not enough to pass.
When asked when the Senate would vote on the three-year extension, Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters on Wednesday: “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it”.
If the subsidies expire, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projects that there will be an average of 3.8 million more uninsured Americans each year – in addition to healthcare insurance premiums more than doubling for many.
Correction 17 December: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that the House was due to vote on extending healthcare subsidies on Wednesday evening. This has been updated to say that vote has yet to be scheduled
