The U.S. Senate failed to advance two different bills addressing healthcare coverage today as expanded Affordable Care Act subsidies are set to expire at the end of the month.
Both bills lacked enough support to cross the Senate’s 60-vote filibuster threshold.
A Republican bill to replace expiring healthcare subsidies with health savings accounts went down on a 51-48 vote. All Democrats and one Republican, Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, opposed the G.O.P. proposal.
A vote to advance a Democratic bill to extend healthcare subsidies for three years also failed 51-48. Four Republicans — Senators Josh Hawley of Missouri, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, both of Alaska — joined Democrats in support of taking up the extension.
About 22 million Americans receive the enhanced subsidies, which lower the cost of their ACA insurance premiums.
The subsidies expire Dec. 31. The open enrollment period already began Nov. 1.
West Virginia is expected to be hit hard, possibly seeing some of the largest rate increases in the country. About 50,000 to 60,000 West Virginians would see higher prices without an extension of subsidies.
The average consumer is likely to see out-of-pocket payments more than double, according to a recent analysis from KFF, a health research group. Many of those include self-employed business owners, freelancers and early retirees.
Senator Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., had favored the Republican proposal with health saving accounts.
“Our plan, which is called the Health Care Freedom for Patient Act, is a more permanent solution because the real problem is to try to lower health care costs and allow families to have more control over their decisions,” she said.
Capito, in a briefing with West Virginia reporters before today’s votes took place, predicted that neither of the proposals would gain enough votes to advance.
“I don’t think either one of these, unfortunately, will pass. I would love to have some Democrats join, and there probably will be some crossover on some of the plans,” said Capito, R-W.Va.
She went on to say “I think if they both fail — which our predictions are they both will fail — the problem is still there; we haven’t helped anybody. So I envision that next week, before we leave for the Christmas holiday, that there may be some kind of a stopgap, small extension of some sort to be able to carry people over.
“I don’t think this will be the end of the issue, because it isn’t for so many, like, a million Americans. So I do think that there will be other ideas that will pop up. They probably won’t be permanent solutions, but some temporary, transitional solutions.”