Negotiators Say Talks to Restore ACA Subsidies Likely Dead

[In It to Win It]

https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/negotiators-say-talks-to-restore-aca-subsidies-likely-dead-a9c710b4?st=u4EGJd

WASHINGTON—Top Senate negotiators said an effort to renew expired healthcare subsidies had effectively collapsed, likely ending the hopes of 20 million Americans that the tax-credit expansion could be revived and lower their monthly insurance premiums.

Talks had centered on a proposal from Sens. Bernie Moreno (R., Ohio) and Susan Collins (R., Maine) to extend a version of the enlarged Affordable Care Act subsidies for at least two years, while cutting off higher-income people from participating and eventually giving enrollees the option of putting money into health savings accounts. It also would eliminate zero-dollar premium plans. But lawmakers from both parties now say the chances of a deal have all but evaporated.

“It’s effectively over,” Moreno said Wednesday. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R., La.)—the architect of an adjacent plan—agreed. While Collins declined to be as definitive, she did say that it was “certainly difficult.”

The collapse in negotiations comes as new, higher health-insurance bills are kicking in for many households and just months after a standoff over extending the subsidies sparked the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. Now, both parties are set to head into the midterm elections with no breakthrough on healthcare coverage. Instead, the focus in Washington has largely turned to new restrictions of immigration enforcement officers.

The ACA subsidies were first expanded in 2021 by Democrats during the coronavirus pandemic with no Republican support. They allowed people with incomes over 400% of the poverty line—currently $128,600 for a family of four—to receive tax credits reducing the cost of premiums. The subsidies dramatically expanded the number of people who could obtain health insurance without paying a premium. The expanded subsidies expired at the end of last year.

Top Senate negotiators say an effort to renew expired healthcare subsidies has effectively collapsed www.wsj.com/politics/pol...

— Catherine Rampell (@crampell.bsky.social) 2026-02-05T01:14:31.573Z

[Fiendish Thingy]

1. ...or, How To Lose The Midterms Without Even Trying To Win...nt

[Bobstandard]

3. ACA subsidies were dead the moment Dems caved on the shutdown

Everyone knew the ACA subsidies were dead the moment Dems caved on the government shutdown. Democratic leadership knew it. They are too experienced in the game to have thought otherwise. Unfortunately they are experienced in a game that nobody but them plays anymore.

And now Chuck Schumer thinks a win is to get Ice to change their uniforms.

[EdmondDantes_]

12. They died when we didn't win in 2024

How were we going to force the majority party to extend the subsidies? Can you point to an example of something like that happening through a government shutdown? Just because we didn't get them via one path, that doesn't mean we would have gotten them through doing the opposite. Sometimes you just lose.

The two inflection points were the 2024 elections and when we pushed through a 3 year extension of subsidies instead of adding them longer because we were using budget reconciliation and had to make choices to keep the budget neutral.

[W_HAMILTON]

14. They were dead when voters voted for Republicans and not the Democrats that implemented them in the first place.

[Bettie]

2. The subsidies were dead the second

Schumer gave those other senators permission to fold with nothing but a promise for a vote.

Everyone knew that the vote would be NO....and now the subsidies are gone.

What a win....for the health insurance industry.

Did anyone here actually believe that this strategy would work, that the subsidies weren't fully gone?

[AloeVera]

7. Did anyone here believe it?

Sadly, yes.

What do you call hoping against hope, against prior experience? Reminds me of that definition of insanity involving doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.

This is a major screw-up. Millions of people have been thrown to the wolves.

[AZJonnie]

8. Why is this a win for the health insurance industry?

Walk me through it?

[Bettie]

10. Once the ACA is fully dead

Limits on out of pocket expenses go away, but lifetime caps return.

They get to charge more to people with preexisting conditions....quick note: being a woman is a preexisting condition!

Young adults won't be able to stay on their parents' health insurance until 26 (probably forced off at 18).

This is just a little bit of it, but basically, they get to charge more for less care and not care for things that are expensive, because they will no longer be covered by insurance or they will hit that lifetime maximum cap.

[EdmondDantes_]

11. Except the extended subsidies have no impact on that

The extended subsidies came in long after the ACA. What's the path to get all the ACA requirements about young adults staying on their parent's plan or doing away with prohibitions on preexisting conditions?

[Bettie]

16. First step

If you think Republicans will allow the ACA to continue, well, you are far more optimistic than I am.

[BlueTsunami2018]

4. Color me shocked.

Everyone knew it was over the second the Senate Democrats caved on the shutdown.

We can’t achieve class consciousness soon enough.

[flvegan]

5. Literally nobody saw this coming. *checks notes*

Nope, EVERYONE saw this coming. More obvious that Lucy with the football and Charlie Brown goes flying again.

Pathetic.

[DJ Synikus Makisimus]

6. That's how you say "bipartisan" In Republican. (n/t)

[spanone]

9. You can't deal with the devil.

FUCKEMALL

[EnergizedLib]

13. We'll circle back to this in the future

[WarGamer]

15. My swimming pool guy had to go from a Silver plan to Bronze... sucks.

[Seeking Serenity]

17. Why was a time limit on the subsidies ever even put into law?

Surely, somebody had to have thought about that at the time.