Sorensen and Miller-Meeks disagree on ACA health insurance subsidies, prepare for shutdown

Congressional representatives for the Quad-Cities are expected come down on party lines on votes this week on whether to extend COVID-era health insurance subsidies for another three years.

U.S. Rep. Eric Sorensen, a Democrat representing the Illinois 17th District, said during a news conference Wednesday, allowing the Affordable Care Act enhanced premium tax credits passed during the pandemic to expire is "unacceptable."

"So many people have reached out from our district because they have now been priced out of coverage for health care," Sorensen said.

Though, Sorensen said, Congress must find a way to avoid another government shutdown like the one in October. That shutdown lasted 43 days, making it the longest shutdown in U.S. history. Sorensen said another one would hurt families and small businesses.

"We need to make sure that we never shut down the government," Sorensen said in response to a question about whether Democrats were gearing up for another shutdown fight. "It is the job of members of Congress to figure out a way."

Sorensen called the October shutdown, a "Thelma and Louise moment," adding, "The American people can't afford that to happen again."

U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, a Republican representing southeast Iowa, has led a GOP alternative to pass the House in December that Republicans have billed as a way to lower costs for more Americans without largely benefiting insurance companies.

The ACA enhanced premium tax credits "don't fix the broken system or actually lower costs; they simply hide who pays for them," Miller-Meeks said in an emailed statement.

Roughly 22 million Americans receive enhanced ACA premium tax credits, with about 117,000 Iowans relying on advanced premium tax credits, according to nonprofit health policy research organization KFF.

Open enrollment for ACA plans ends Jan. 15.

The U.S. House is expected to vote Thursday on a Democrat-led bill extending the tax credits for another three years, Sorensen said.

Asked whether Democrats would commit to modifications to their bill, such as lowering the amount of the credits, to make it more attractive to the U.S. Senate, Sorensen said "everything should be on the table to connect people to health care."

Sorensen seemed open to limiting the number of people the premium tax credits could be made available to.

"Something is better than nothing, but also we need good policy, we need good health care policy on Capitol Hill so that people don't fall through the cracks," Sorensen said.

All Democrats, including Sorensen, voted against the Miller-Meeks-led House GOP bill, alleging it doesn't do enough to lower health care costs.

Miller-Meeks' bill would expand association health plans, allowing small businesses and self-employed workers to negotiate coverage and exempt stop-loss insurance from federal regulation and state laws that restrict their use. Stop-loss insurance protects small employers from catastrophic claims that could overwhelm a self-insured health plan. It also would add disclosure requirements on pharmacy benefit managers.

A nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office analysis found the bill would reduce federal deficits largely by cutting Affordable Care Act subsidies, while increasing the number of uninsured Americans despite lowering benchmark marketplace premiums.

Asked about the bill, Sorensen said, "We need real results. We don't need a 'potential to lower your costs.'"

Miller-Meeks said the bill would "significantly reduce health care costs."

"It expands choice, boosts transparency, helps small businesses, and puts doctors and patients back in charge," Miller-Meeks said in the emailed statement.

According to reporting from Politico, a bipartisan Senate group is nearing an agreement to revive lapsed Obamacare subsidies.

Tom Barton contributed reporting.