The United States Senate is set to vote on Thursday (11 December) on a Republican-backed plan aimed at addressing expiring Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies, Senate Majority Leader John Thune announced on Tuesday.
The proposal, introduced by Republican Senators Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and Mike Crapo of Idaho, is designed to make health insurance premiums more affordable for Americans as key ACA support measures approach expiration.
“It actually does make health insurance premiums more affordable,” Thune said, highlighting the plan’s goal of easing costs for policyholders.
The bill would authorise up to $1,500 for health savings accounts for individuals earning less than 700% of the federal poverty level. It also would bar the funds from being used for abortion or "gender transition services," according to a summary released by the two senators.
They said the measure also would lower insurance premiums by 11% in 2027 and reduce federal Medicaid funding to states that provide healthcare coverage to "illegal immigrants."
The bill's $1,500 payment is meant to cover deductible costs for lower-priced Obamacare plans, although it is far below those deductibles and could leave patients on the hook for up to $7,500 in out-of-pocket expenses before their insurance kicks in. Medical expenses can add up quickly, with a visit to a U.S. emergency room costing between $1,000 and $3,000.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer dismissed the Republican bill, calling it "junk insurance," while Republicans have criticised the high cost of Democrats' proposed extension of the existing subsidy and say it has contributed to rising healthcare costs.
At the moment, Congress is struggling to address a fast-approaching surge in health insurance premiums for up to 24 million Americans. The COVID-era subsidies, which help to offset premium costs for the plans, also known as Obamacare, are set to expire at year end and millions rely on the programme.
Democrats have continued to push for a three-year extension of expiring ACA subsidies, while Thune said he will present a bill to replace those subsidies with direct payments to individuals. Democrats have criticised those payments as insufficient, and neither approach is expected to get enough support to pass.
On Monday, President Donald Trump embraced the Cassidy-Crapo approach, backing the payment of federal funds directly to individuals instead of to insurers, as provided by the Obamacare subsidy.
The vote comes amid ongoing debates over healthcare affordability and the future of the ACA, with lawmakers exploring different approaches to maintain coverage for millions of Americans while managing federal spending.
Senators on both sides of the aisle will weigh the proposal in the coming days, with the outcome expected to shape the nation’s healthcare landscape and determine the extent to which subsidies continue to support those relying on ACA plans.
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U.S. President Donald Trump threatened further attacks on Iran on Saturday (7 March), while the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia continued to shoot down missiles in their airspace. Meanwhile, Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran would stop attacking its neighbours.
Global financial markets remained on edge on Friday as the escalating war involving the United States, Israel and Iran continued to rattle investors, fuelling volatility in stocks and sending energy prices sharply higher.
Tensions in the Middle East are continuing to escalate as Iran and U.S.-backed Israeli forces exchange strikes for a sixth consecutive day, with Tehran reporting mounting civilian casualties and warning it is prepared for a prolonged war.
Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is a hardline cleric with strong backing from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. His rise signals continuity in Tehran's anti-Western policies.
Global oil prices surpassed $119 a barrel on Monday (9 March, 2026), an almost four year high, as the Middle East conflict rumbled on.
Trump says the United States "don’t need people that join wars after we’ve already won," targeting his criticism at UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Israel continues to fire missles at strategic sites in Iran and Gulf regions report more strikes from Iran.
China has urged Afghanistan and Pakistan to resolve their dispute through dialogue after Chinese envoy Yue Xiaoyong met Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, as fighting between the two neighbours entered its eleventh day.
Iran named Mojtaba Khamenei to succeed his father Ali Khamenei as supreme leader on Monday (9 March), signaling that hardliners remain firmly in charge, as the week-old U.S.-Israeli war with Iran pushed oil above $100 a barrel.
U.S. President Donald Trump and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke by phone on Sunday as tensions between Washington and Westminster deepened over the conflict involving Iran. The call came less than a day after Trump criticised Britain’s response to U.S. strikes on Iranian targets.
Norwegian police are searching for a suspect after an explosion at the U.S. embassy in Oslo on 8 March caused minor damage but no injuries, in what authorities say may have been a deliberate attack linked to the Middle East crisis.
An explosion damaged a synagogue in the Belgian city of Liège early on Monday (9 March) in what authorities said was an antisemitic attack that caused damage but no injuries.
The Group of Seven (G7) finance ministers will meet on Monday to discuss a global rise in oil prices and a joint release of oil from emergency reserves coordinated by the International Energy Agency, the Financial Times reports.
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