GOP accuses Democrats of manufacturing affordability crisis as Obamacare subsidy fight nears deadline
Senate Democrats have tried to tie the looming expiration date for Obamacare subsidies to the affordability issues slamming households, but Senate Republicans argue that their counterparts are manufacturing it to...
By Fox News · Fox News
Senate Democrats have tried to tie the looming expiration date for Obamacare subsidies to the affordability issues slamming households, but Senate Republicans argue that their counterparts are manufacturing it to score political points next year. The phrase "sticker shock" became a common rallying cry from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer , D-N.Y., during and after the government shutdown that he used to illustrate what Americans could experience if the Biden-era credits were to expire. "Our bill is the only bill that will prevent this crisis from happening," Schumer said. "It's the last train out of this station. We urge our Republican colleagues, for the sake of the American people, to get on that train." SENATE REPUBLICANS LAND ON OBAMACARE FIX, TEE UP DUELING VOTE WITH DEMS But Senate Republicans contend that Democrats’ proposal to extend the subsidies for another three years is designed to fail and provide the party with a political weapon entering into the 2026 midterm election cycle. "I think the Democrats politically embrace this affordability issue, and then them asking for a three-year extension does nothing but throw gasoline on the fire of affordability of healthcare ," Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., told Fox News Digital. Marshall is one of several Senate Republicans who have put together an alternative plan to Schumer’s strategy. His " Marshall Plan " marries Democrats’ desire to extend the subsidies for a year with Republicans’ demands that the credits be done away with in favor of health savings accounts (HSAs). Republicans are instead running with a plan from Sens. Bill Cassidy, R-La., and Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, the chairs of the Senate health and finance panels, that would abandon the enhanced subsidies in favor of HSAs. That proposal is also expected to fail, leaving the Senate with little time to move ahead with an alternative before the subsidies expire. GOP SENATOR PITCHES 'BLACK FRIDAY' OBAMACARE FIX THAT BRIDGES DEMOCRAT, REPUBLICAN DEMANDS…