The United States House of Representatives voted last week to advance a measure already rejected by the Senate that would have revived the expanded health insurance subsidies that expired at the end of last year.
Under the House-approved bill, the COVID-era expansion of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) health insurance tax credits would have been reinstated for three years.
Known as the enhanced premium tax credit (EPTC), this program gives many Americans access to free or discounted monthly premiums if they purchase their insurance through the ACA marketplace.
Absent congressional action, the 2021 expansion of this credit — approved as part of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) — lapsed. The original, non-expanded tax credits have remained in place.
Originally, Americans were only eligible for a tax credit if they earned between 100 percent and 400 percent of the federal poverty level, equal in 2025 to between $15,650 and $62,600 for a single-person household. This range increases to between $32,150 and $128,600 for a family of four.
Under the EPTC, however, anyone making above this threshold would have their monthly health insurance premium capped at 8.5 percent of their income.
The EPTC also eliminated or nearly eliminated premiums for those making between 100 percent and 150 percent of the federal poverty line.
The cap on premium contribution levels were also lowered for recipients at all income levels.
Although this expansion was initially set to expire at the end of 2022, Congress extended the EPTC in the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), establishing a new expiry date at the end of 2025.
[RELATED: How Maine’s Senators Voted on the Two Major Health Care Proposals Before the Chamber This Week]
Because the legislation to revive this measure has already been shot down in the Senate, the New York Times reports that it has no path forward to enactment.
That said, the bill was approved by a fairly wide margin of 230-196 as a number of Republicans joined their Democratic colleagues in support of the measure.
Although this particular piece of legislation is blocked from further advancement, some analysts have suggested that this could open the door for further discussion of an extension.
This came after four House Republicans joined together at the end of last year to sign a Democratic petition overriding House Speaker Mike Johnson’s decision to not green-light a vote on the bill, according to ABC News.
Reporting from ABC News indicates that lawmakers from both chambers are in the midst of ongoing discussions over potential paths forward on this subject, addressing issues such as fraud, abortion coverage, and income limits.
Maine’s Rep. Jared Golden (D) issued a statement following the vote on the House floor explaining his decision to back the proposal.
“Mainers work hard but despite all their efforts, the cost of living keeps going up,” said Rep. Golden. “The last thing they need is for their health insurance premiums to double because politicians in D.C. can’t get their act together.”
“I have worked for months with a group of my Republican colleagues to build the bipartisan coalition needed to extend these credits, and today that work paid off,” he continued.
“GOP leaders never should have let these credits expire, but this vote builds a strong foundation for a deal in the Senate to reduce health care costs for millions of Americans,’ said Golden.
