Bennet, Hickenlooper blast vote to reopen government without any guarantees on health care subsidies

Colorado's Democratic senators voted against a package to reopen the government because they said it did not include an extension of the health insurance tax credit that they were seeking.

Sens. Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper's opposition was not surprising. Both had voted Sunday night against ending the filibuster against the package, which passed the Senate 60-40, with eight senators who caucus with Democrats voting with Republicans. If it gets House approval, the government could reopen later this week.

The deal extends government funding through Jan. 30, ensures full year funding for Agriculture, Military Construction-Veterans Affairs, and the Legislative branch, undoes layoffs of federal employees during the shutdown and includes a promise of a Senate floor vote by mid-December on a bill to extend an enhanced premium tax credit for people who buy health insurance on the state marketplace, Connect for Health Colorado.

Colorado's senators are pessimistic that the promised vote will end with the tax credits being continued.

"Apparently, President Trump is going to get his way, and those tax credits are not going to be extended by the majority here, and the cost of health insurance in Colorado is going to increase by 200 percent for some people, 300 percent for some people, 400 percent for people that are living in rural areas in my state. That's thousands and thousands of dollars to a typical family that just doesn't have that kind of money," Bennet said on the floor before the final vote.

Hickenlooper also said in a statement that a failure to address "skyrocketing health care premiums" led to his no vote.

If a bill does not pass Congress, Hickenlooper thinks this will become an election year issue. But instead, he'd like to see the two parties try to find a solution they can both live with.

"There are parts of the Affordable Care Act that I don't think work very well, and I would relish the idea of, let's … roll up our sleeves, both sides, and we'll take the things we really don't like from their proposals. They can bring up the things they really can't stand about our proposals, and then we can negotiate toward a better health care solution. What's crazy about that? That's called democracy in action," he told CPR News.

The House voted and passed the bill Wednesday, after being out of session for 54 days.

Colorado's House Democrats have all said they oppose the deal that passed the Senate.

Most House Republicans are expected to support the package, including Colorado's four Republican members, who all voted for the temporary short-term funding bill on Sept. 19.

To read more stories from Colorado Public Radio, visit www.cpr.org.

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