Senators Squabble Over ‘Health Cost Freight Train’ Racing Toward Patients
The Senate Finance Committee met Wednesday to discuss possible alternatives for Affordable Care Act subsidies, which expire at the end of the year. Republicans are calling for an overhaul of the system, but Democrats say they waited too long to initiate such reforms.
With time running short, a key congressional panel convened Wednesday to weigh options to mitigate the consequences when enhanced health insurance exchange subsidies expire. Republicans on the Senate Finance Committee followed President Donald Trump’s lead and touted plans that would deposit funds into health savings accounts rather than provide subsidies for insurance premiums, as Democrats demanded. (McAuliff, 11/19)
The Senate Finance Committee led a high-stakes hearing Nov. 19 on the affordability crisis unfolding across the U.S. healthcare system. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle warned that Americans are facing staggering premium hikes, shrinking coverage options and escalating out-of-pocket costs as Congress remains divided on how to respond. (Condon, 11/19)
It’s too little, too late for Sen. Bill Cassidy’s (R-La.) Obamacare subsidy compromise. That’s the message from health policy experts and Democrats on Cassidy’s proposed middle ground over Congress’ stalemate on expiring enhanced Obamacare subsidies. (King, 11/20)
More news from Capitol Hill —
The House Ways and Means Committee is demanding an answer from a New Jersey organ donation group accused of engaging in illegal practices, including harvesting organs from a person who was showing signs of life. In a letter to the New Jersey Organ and Tissue Sharing Network (NJTO), Ways and Means Chair Jason Smith (R-Mo.) and oversight subcommittee Chair David Schweikert (R-Ariz.) laid out numerous whistleblower allegations made against the organization. (Choi, 11/19)
U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick of Florida has been indicted on charges accusing her of stealing $5 million in federal disaster funds and using some of the money to aid her 2021 campaign, the Justice Department said Wednesday. The Democrat is accused of stealing Federal Emergency Management Agency overpayments that her family health care company had received through a federally funded COVID-19 vaccination staffing contract, federal prosecutors said. A portion of the money was then funneled to support her campaign through candidate contributions, prosecutors allege. (11/20)
