The U.S. House voted Thursday to pass an extension of ACA subsidies that would keep them valid for the next three years.
The bill received some bipartisan support in the chamber, with 17 Republicans joining a majority of Democrats in passage. The final vote in the chamber was 230-196.
“The affordability crisis is not a ‘hoax,’ it is very real — despite what Donald Trump has had to say,” said House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
“Democrats made clear before the government was shut down that we were in this affordability fight until we win this affordability fight,” he said. “Today we have an opportunity to take a meaningful step forward.”
The bill now proceeds to another vote in the Senate, where it is not expected to pass in its current form.
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The extension of subsidies is a central part of a long-running battle on the Hill. The logjam over the issue late last year led to the longest government shutdown in the nation's history. The Senate then voted down a similar deal that would have extended the subsidies for the same three years.
Without a deal approved by the full Congress and signed by President Trump, some 22 million Americans are expected to see higher health insurance premiums as 2026 begins.
But some lawmakers are hopeful the bill voted on Thursday could act as a template for making bipartisan progress on health reform. It could potentially inform a new compromise deal that could extend subsidies for two years.
