Zero-dollar premiums sticking point in Senate health talks
Source: Roll Call
Posted January 7, 2026 at 6:27pm
A bipartisan group of Senate deal-makers labored toward an agreement Wednesday on reviving expired health care tax credits but are still managing sticking points as the House prepares to vote on a largely symbolic measure backed by Democrats to extend the subsidies for three years.
In a procedural step, the House voted 221-205 Wednesday evening to consider the rule for Democrats’ tax credit extension. Nine Republicans joined Democrats in voting “yes” to discharge the rule from committee, including the four Republicans who signed on to the discharge petition to meet the threshold for forcing a vote. A vote on the underlying bill is expected before the end of the week.
At issue are the enhanced tax credits for Affordable Care Act plans that Democrats succeeded in passing in 2021, which were extended until Dec. 31 of last year.
The Senate already rejected a three-year extension of those credits when a measure was blocked in a procedural step in that chamber. The latest Senate compromise, which is expected to be finalized in the coming days, is facing pushback within the group of negotiators, as some Democrats think Republicans’ requests for new guardrails go too far.
Read more: https://rollcall.com/2026/01/07/zero-dollar-premiums-sticking-point-in-senate-health-talks/