TL/DR –
Senator Bernie Moreno is working with Senator Susan Collins on a deal to extend enhanced Obamacare subsidies while implementing reforms to combat fraud and lower healthcare premiums by 11%. The deal will also extend the Obamacare enrollment period and set income caps for subsidy eligibility. Moreno believes this deal, if signed by President Donald Trump, would make Trump the first president to significantly lower healthcare costs.
Senator Bernie Moreno Claims Trump Can Lower Healthcare Costs
According to Senator Bernie Moreno (R-OH), Donald Trump has the potential to be the “first president in my lifetime” to bring down healthcare costs significantly. During a recent interview with Breitbart News Saturday, Moreno discussed a potential deal he’s negotiating which could help to achieve this goal.
Moreno has been collaborating with Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) in an effort to extend enhanced Obamacare subsidies. The proposed agreement would also introduce reforms to the subsidies in an attempt to curb widespread fraud, and could lower healthcare premiums by up to 11%.
The Democrats previously bolstered the Affordable Care Act (ACA), or Obamacare, Advance Premium Tax Credit (APTC), creating the Enhance Premium Tax Credit (EPTC) during the pandemic using the $1.9 trillion Biden American Rescue Plan. The Democrats extended these subsidies through the Inflation Reduction Act, with an expiry date at the end of 2025, a decision which incited a weekslong government shutdown.
Now, Moreno aims to broker a deal that could pass both the Senate and the House and be signed by Trump, ultimately decreasing costs for the American populace. “President Trump would be the first president in my lifetime to go on TV and say he lowered premiums by 11 percent for every American,” declared Moreno during his interview with Breitbart News Saturday.
He went on to assert that Trump could be the person to end the ongoing healthcare crisis in the country, an issue that he believes was created by the Democrats.
Moreno’s Proposed Deal Framework
Senator Moreno outlined the key aspects of his proposed deal:
- Extension of subsidies for two years as opposed to three
- Continuation of the enrollment period for Obamacare, enabling Americans to benefit from lower costs
- Setting of income caps at 700 percent in order to prevent those with high incomes from accessing Obamacare subsidies
- Introduction of minimum premiums to combat fraud
- Reduction of premiums by 11 percent and cutting federal expenditure via cost-sharing reduction payments
On Monday night, the Senate lawmakers responsible for the deal will meet and share the framework with the Senate Republican Conference on Tuesday, explained Moreno.
The Senator highlighted his commitment to taking action, stating, “What I will not allow the American people to suffer as the result of bad policy and doing nothing is unacceptable. We have to help Americans.”
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