The House Republican package released late Friday is a narrow collection of conservative measures that does not extend the enhanced ACA subsidies set to expire in weeks. Senate Republicans earlier failed to advance the Cassidy–Crapo plan, which proposed replacing enhanced subsidies with expanded Health Savings Accounts. The House bill lacks hearings, a CBO score and substantive analysis, appears aimed more at political cover than policy, and is unlikely to become law.
House GOP Health Package Is Narrow, Political — And Won’t Avert the ACA Subsidy Cliff
With enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies set to expire in weeks, tens of millions of Americans face a looming surge in premiums. Senate Republicans recently tried — and failed — to replace those enhanced subsidies with expanded Health Savings Accounts in the Cassidy–Crapo bill. That proposal fell 9 votes short on the Senate floor, earning 51 of the 60 votes required to advance.
On Friday, House Republican leaders unveiled their own package. While it stitches together several conservative priorities, it does not extend the enhanced ACA subsidies that are set to expire — the very measure most experts say is necessary to prevent a dramatic increase in premiums for millions of people.
What the House Package Contains
The bill includes a mix of items popular with conservatives, such as:
- Reinstating cost‑sharing reductions (CSRs).
- Allowing small businesses to band together to buy group health plans.
- Other market‑oriented and regulatory changes meant to expand choices and lower costs.
Why It Falls Short
No Extension of Enhanced Subsidies: The legislation explicitly does not extend enhanced ACA premium tax credits that are scheduled to expire in a matter of weeks. The loss of those credits is expected to more than double premiums on average for roughly 22 million Americans, sharply increasing out‑of‑pocket costs for many families.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson speaks during a press conference on Nov. 18, 2025 on Capitol Hill.(Getty Images)
Procedural Gaps: House leaders plan to move the package to the floor without holding policy hearings, without a Congressional Budget Office (CBO) score and without substantive analysis. That makes it hard to assess the bill’s real world impacts.
Political, Not Policy, Aim: The collection reads like a partisan wish list assembled to provide political cover — letting lawmakers say, “we unveiled a plan” — rather than a carefully constructed policy response to the subsidy cliff.
Low Odds of Becoming Law: Even if the package passes the House (which is uncertain), it stands little chance in the Senate. The earlier Cassidy–Crapo effort failed to attract the bipartisan support needed to advance.
Administration Response
Republicans in both chambers have looked to the White House for direction. President Donald Trump, when asked what he would tell Americans facing higher premiums, replied, “Don’t make it sound so bad,” a response critics say signals disengagement from the imminent coverage crisis.
Bottom Line
The House package is a narrow set of conservative priorities that neither replaces the ACA nor prevents the impending subsidy cliff. Absent swift bipartisan action to extend enhanced subsidies or enact another durable relief strategy, millions of Americans can expect sharply higher premiums and out‑of‑pocket costs.
Note: Reporting referenced includes coverage by MS NOW reporter Clarissa‑Jan Lim.
