U.S. Reps. Ryan Mackenzie (R-Lehigh) and Rob Bresnahan (R-Luzerne) signed a Democratic petition to force a House vote to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies.
The congressmen cover Pennsylvania’s 7th and 8th districts, respectively. They were two of four Republicans who went against party leadership to sign the petition.
“Despite our months-long call for action, leadership on both sides of the aisle failed to work together to advance any bipartisan compromise, leaving this as the only way to protect the 28,000 people in my district from higher costs,” Bresnahan said in a statement posted to his X, formerly Twitter, account.
“Families in NEPA cannot afford to have the rug pulled out from under them. Doing nothing was not an option, and although this is not a bill I ever intended to support, it is the only option remaining,” he continued.
“I urge my colleagues to set politics aside, put people first, and come together around a bipartisan deal,” Bresnahan said.
Mackenzie said signing the petition was the only way to continue the conversation about reforming the Affordable Care Act.
“I am committed to helping working families, seniors, and everybody who wants to see lower costs,” said Mackenzie in a statement. “Many in our community, especially small-business owners and the self-employed, are concerned about the cost of healthcare for the coming year. This is a serious issue with real-world consequences — we must find commonsense, bipartisan solutions to protect access to health insurance for families in the Lehigh Valley and the Poconos."
“My position has been clear throughout this process — we need both short-term relief to bring down prices and longer-term reforms to make healthcare in America more affordable for everyone. In order to achieve these goals, I have opted for the only remaining option in the House — a three-year extension of the enhanced credits, because this will keep the conversation alive," he continued.
He said he wants Democrats to work with Republicans on bipartisan legislation that will make long-term changes to the healthcare system.
“It is deeply disappointing that Hakeem Jeffries and other Democratic leaders have refused to consider a bipartisan compromise that fulfills their stated objective of extending these tax credits, while enacting commonsense, longer-term reforms that reduce costs. Their partisan gamesmanship is what is standing in the way of real, bipartisan healthcare solutions. Supporting this discharge petition is currently the only way to keep discussions about bipartisan reforms alive," Mackenzie said.
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, a Bucks County Republican who represents Pennsylvania’s 1st district, and Rep. Mike Lawler from New York also signed the petition.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries needed 218 signatures to force a vote in the House that would extend the subsidies for three years. The four Republican congressmen pushed the number to 218. A vote will likely happen in the new year, although the timing is still unclear.
A lengthy fight over the extension of ACA subsidies
The pandemic-era subsidies are set to expire at the end of this year and were the driving force behind the government shutdown that ended in November.
KFF found that healthcare costs could more than double for enrollees in the ACA should the tax credits expire.
House Republicans led by Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) this week pushed ahead a healthcare package that does not include an extension.
Bresnahan told WVIA earlier this month that he was in favor of extending the subsidies.
“I don't feel proper in ripping the rug out from underneath people that are already struggling economically and from an affordability perspective. I think we need to approach it twofold. I think we need to extend the subsidies for one year the way it is, also then we need to get to work and figure out a legislative, real solution, real reform,” he said during a visit to Scranton with Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Mehmet Oz.
