Each week while Congress is in session, our Policy team delivers a key update to highlight a topical benefits, health, or retirement news item from the Hill, such as a newly introduced bill, a summary of a committee hearing, or another hot-button matter.
Lawmakers have gone home for Thanksgiving without a plan on whether or how Congress will address expiring enhanced Advance Premium Tax Credits (“APTCs”) or other health care policy changes. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) promised a vote on the APTCs as a condition of ending the government shutdown, but House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has made no such promise. The White House is reportedly readying a health policy framework to be released as early as this week under which the enhanced APTCs would be extended for two years along with changes to income eligibility limits and new minimum premium requirements. The White House plan reportedly may also include options for APTC recipients to choose cheaper, higher deductible plans on the exchanges and receive contributions to health savings accounts (“HSAs”) instead of APTCs. Meanwhile, President Trump on November 18 posted on Truth Social that it would be a “waste” of “time and energy” for lawmakers to work on any health policy other than “sending the money directly back to the people.”
Other Congressional lawmakers have been readying health care proposals as well. Last week, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) said he was looking at proposals to amplify Heath Savings Accounts (“HSAs”) and to reform pharmacy benefit managers (“PBMs”). Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (“HELP”) Committee, is examining providing federally-funded HSAs for some high deductible Affordable Care Act (“ACA”) plans. Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) introduced the More Affordable Care Act to create Trump Health Freedom Accounts for individuals to receive directly the value of premium tax credits and cost-sharing reduction payments. The Senate Finance Committee plans to reintroduce bipartisan PBM reform legislation in the coming weeks. Which proposals will ultimately win out remains to be seen.
