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As Trump floats new health care savings, Congress is still deadlocked over its own proposals

The president's proposal is separate from bipartisan negotiations on Capitol Hill over how to extent subsidies for the Affordable Care Act.
As Trump floats new health care savings, Congress is still deadlocked over its own proposals
Senate Trump OPM
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On Thursday, President Trump unveiled his Great Health Care Plan, which aims to lower the cost of health insurance for Americans on the Affordable Care Act.

At the center of the president's plan are health savings accounts for Americans so they can pay down the high cost of healthcare directly.

RELATED NEWS | Trump unveils health care plan that would pay Americans directly to buy coverage

But the president's proposal is separate from bipartisan negotiations on Capitol Hill.

Critically, it doesn't include any extension of expanded Affordable Care Act subsidies, which expired at the end of last year.

A White House official told Scripps News Group that the proposal "does not specifically address those bipartisan congressional negotiations that are going on."

Those talks are led in part by freshman Republican Senator Bernie Moreno of Ohio, who told reporters Thursday ahead of a Senate recess that talks have hit a snag.

"Here's where we're at. So we are in a little bit of a pothole. Democrats that we're talking to are, absolutely they are, in good faith. They absolutely want to get a deal done. They are absolutely willing to do an extension of reforms, but what I've seen in my year here is that unless the Democrat leader wants a deal to happen, it just will not happen," Sen. Moreno said.

The Senator placed the blame squarely on Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who has advocated with his fellow Congressional Democrats for a three-year extension of credits.

According to Sen. Moreno, bipartisan negotiations have zeroed in on a two-year plan, which would allow for an extension of the expanded expired tax credits, paired with a health savings account option, to put money directly in Americans' pockets in year two.

RELATED NEWS | Fewer Americans sign up for Affordable Care Act health insurance as costs spike

Since open enrollment ended for 2026 on January 15th, Sen. Moreno says an agreement would reopen open enrollment for Americans who get their coverage thru the ACA.

Healthcare is expected to be a major campaign issue in this year's midterm elections.

With negotiations stalled and campaigns ramping up, it's not clear if a bipartisan group of lawmakers will be able to deliver on a plan.

Meanwhile, millions of Americans are projected to lose their health insurance over the expired tax credits, and those who have renewed their plans are now paying significantly more for the same coverage.

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