Posted on 12/17/2025 9:13:39 AM PST by Miami Rebel
Four moderate House Republicans are rebelling against Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., to join his Democratic counterpart in forcing a vote on enhanced Obamacare subsidies set to expire at the end of this year.
Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., Ryan Mackenzie, R-Pa., Rob Bresnahan, R-Pa., and Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., all joined a discharge petition by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., on his push for a three-year extension of the subsidies.
A discharge petition is a mechanism for overriding the will of House leaders to get a chamber-wide vote on specific legislation, provided it has support from a majority of lawmakers.
In this case, the four House Republicans' signatures put Jeffries' petition at 218 — clinching the critical majority threshold.
"I've always supported bipartisan solutions that would bring about healthcare affordability in this country," Mackenzie told Fox News Digital on Wednesday of his decision. "Leader Jeffries and the Democrats have refused to sign onto either of those bipartisan solutions. And so at this point, our leadership is not calling up a bill to extend the [Obamacare] tax credits."
He called for a vote on the Democrat-led solution as well as two bipartisan bills offering one and two-year extensions, respectively, with reforms.
It comes despite Johnson warning Republicans earlier on Wednesday not to support Jeffries' petition, arguing it was not the best way to legislate. Johnson told CNBC's "Squawk Box" that it was effectively "doing an end-run around the majority party, the speaker or the regular process is not the best way to make law."
The House is expected to vote on a bill that Republicans say is aimed at lowering healthcare costs for all Americans, without extending the subsidies — which they argue are part of a deeply flawed public healthcare system.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
“time is needed to allow the private market to create policies that are unburdened by Obamacare requirements and that can take at least a year.”
I would also make bronze plans low cost by having $10,000 50% co-pays with $10,000 paid up front to the insurance company by the insured. Unused amounts of the $10,000s would be refunded after the policy is closed out.
I would also make copper plans low cost by only covering Part A scope items plus what Part B would pay for any general or regional anesthesia surgery.
Those could be created in a few months.
Another option is to extend the subsidies only in the last six months of a year.
Obamacare won’t be repealed, because it can’t be repealed - or, more exactly, it can’t be repealed without ushering in huge Democratic majorities in the House and the Senate.
Members of Congress don’t know much, but they can count votes like a pimp in a whorehouse can count money.
Yes, the voters “hate Obamacare and want it repealed”. That is absolutely true.
It’s also true that they want the ability to buy insurance for pre-existing conditions, want insurance companies to be forbidden to cancel policies for non-payment, want zero payment at the point of service, want their adult children who are smoking dope in a dive in Oakland to stay covered, want their States to expand Medicaid without taxes going up, and so on.
In other words, the only two things they hate about Obamacare are paying for it, and the name.
Republicans in Congress understand this perfectly well, which is why there’s no GOP plan.
And, not coincidentally, Obamacare (and Romneycare) were the culmination of fifty years of “reform”, all of which had the purpose of destroying the private sector or making it impossible for the private sector to function, except for boob jobs and a few other things. And, by 2025, the mission is largely accomplished.
Obamacare was merely a temporary mop-up operation, until full nationalization was possible.
And now, it is, or rather, it will be after the midterms.
“Why would they line up under Hakeem Jeffries?”
Easy! They are AKA the GOPe, RINOs, uniparty, deep state, elites, back stabbers, establishment, surrender monkeys, turncoats, maoists, assistant democrats, traitors, liars, swamp dwellers, debt junkies, crooks, thieves, warmongers, scumbags, republicrats, democrat lite and many others. These are the people that have begged, borrowed, and stole from us citizens especially the last few generations and put the country in near death. These enemies of freedom don’t do much of anything except take our money and bankroll fraud.
They employ the redistribution of wealth to get re-elected in their districts.
Maybe, or could more likely be protecting their cushy congressional job where many make millions.
The lost cost copper plans [Part A + Part B surgical] could be created by hospitals themselves.
The Republicans have done nothing about ObamaCare because there’s no way to fix a health care system that is built on the childish, delusional idea that you have a God-given right to make someone else pay your medical bills.
Extending the subsidies improves nothing long term, as subsidies NEVER lower the actual price/cost of what they subsidize, they just use taxes (subsidies) to cover up the actual costs. THAT incentivizes the sources of the costs - the insurers - to NEVER lower the prices, as the subsidies GUARANTEE they don’t need to. That is why (1) Obamacare has never worked (the subsidies) and (2) Obamacare has never lowered or slowed the raising of the actual insurance premiums. The “temporary” Covid extended and additional subsidies were (a) never expected by the Dims to be “temporary” and (b) intended to accelerate the actual damage the subsidies are doing to the actual premiums’ costs and (c) moving the needle closer and closer to everyone being subsidized to the point where the government MUST takeover the health insurance business altogether and implement a “single payer” plan, as the Marxist/Dims always wanted and intended.
“Obamacare won’t be repealed, because it can’t be repealed”
The federal debt is ~$400,000/American citizen full-time worker.
What do you think is ‘affordable’ when it comes to a house, Mr. & Mrs. Young?
$300,000, tops!
The $300,000 isn’t enough to secure Mr. & Mrs. Young’s $800,000 share of the federal debt.
You might say there’s stock market value to secure the federal debt. That would need to be about $500,000 for Mr. & Mrs. Young and their kiddies. That’s $500,000 after state and federal corporate tax is paid. Yup, $500,000 profit, after tax, just from one American citizen family.
What about the migrants? They can bolt.
Are Ellen and her ‘wife’ back in Montecito?
That’s at least a plan.
Primaries? Wait till the general election.
EVERY “GATEKEEPER” AT EVERY JUNCTION OF OBAMACARE GETS A BITE OUT OF THE $$$$$ APPLE.
THAT IS WHY COSTS ARE SO HIGH.
Let the insurance industry go bankrupt when the only people renewing their coverage for 2026 at a cost of $2,500/month are those who have $10,000+ per month in recurring health care expenses.
And in the meantime, the only legislative measure that needs to be taken is to make all medical expenses fully tax deductible from the first $1 — without any consideration for the standard federal tax deduction.
CORRECT
THERE ARE THE “OBAMACARE SUBSIDIES” & THE “COVID ENHANCED OBAMACARE SUBSIDIES”
THE ENHANCED SUBSIDIES ARE THE ONES FACING RETIREMENT
The Republicans told voters, just give us the majority..... for what??
I’m 67 so I’m on Medicare.
However, I went shopping assuming the maximum likely income I might earn.
Age 64,
Sarasota County, FL
$23,000/year income
Based on the income and household information you provided, your household may qualify for an estimated premium tax credit of:
$1,609 per month
This is an estimate.
Florida Blue HMO (a BlueCross BlueShield FL company)
myBlue Bronze 2286 ($75 PCP Visits / Rewards)
Metal Level:
Bronze
Plan type:
HMO
Plan ID:
30252FL0070041
Rating
Quality Rating: 3 of 5 stars
Premium
$0.00/month
Including a $1,609 tax credit
was $1,506.54
Estimated total yearly cost
Add yearly cost
Deductible
$2,350
Individual total
(health & drug combined)
Extra deductible for some services
Out-of-pocket maximum
$10,150
Individual total
You pay
Primary care
No charge per visit from day 1
Specialist care
$100 per visit from day 1
Urgent care
$100 per visit from day 1
Emergency room
50% coinsurance after deductible
Outpatient mental health
$85 per visit from day 1
Generic drugs
$35 Copay after deductible
There is a plan from a company I don’t know with lower co-pays.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.