Jeffries condemns GOP inaction on rising health care prices

(The Center Square) – Republicans in Congress are running out of time to address the upcoming health insurance premium hikes for millions of Americans at the end of the year, and Democrats are unhappy at the lack of progress.

The enhanced Obamacare Premium Tax Credits are set to revert to original, pre-pandemic levels in just 30 days, which will partially contribute to Affordable Care Act Marketplace enrollees' monthly plan payments rising in 2026.

While Republicans have held hearings on possible reforms to the subsidies, they have not proposed any concrete legislation. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., told reporters Monday that he's heard "nothing but crickets from them."

"Republicans have done nothing over the last several months to address the health care crisis," Jeffries said, noting that while rank-and-file members have held some informal conversations, "there certainly haven't been any leadership conversations" with House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., over extending the ACA credits since the government shutdown ended.

Senate Republicans have promised to vote on a bill extending the subsidies – part of their funding deal that ended the 43-day government shutdown – but it is unlikely to pass.

Jeffries said that Johnson's tanking of the Trump administration's unreleased proposal to extend the credits – a plan that blindsided Republicans – means "the only viable path forward" is to extend the credits now.

"I guess we can always hope that there are a handful of Republicans who actually do what they said that they would do once their shutdown ended, which is to work with Democrats to find a path forward," Jeffries acknowledged. "But that path right now is an extension of the Affordable Care Act tax credits."

Most Republicans hold the view that the credits, which go directly to insurance companies rather than patients, are overly expensive and do little to lower premiums.