Affordable Care Act subsidies have expired. This Democrat says Trump can save them : NPR

Millions of Americans have faced higher insurance premiums in the new year after Congress allowed Affordable Care Act subsidies to expire. But earlier this week, a bipartisan group of senators worked to find a compromise that could revive the ACA's expanded premium tax breaks – potentially softening the blow of rising monthly payments for Obamacare enrollees.

“There are a number of Republican and Democratic senators who understand what a disaster this will be for the families they represent,” said Sen. Peter Welch, a Vermont Democrat. on Morning Edition Thursday. “That’s the common ground here, and it’s doable.”

Welch said he joined the bipartisan conference on Tuesday, which was first reported Punchbowl News — in which a handful of senators outlined a possible compromise on health care.

“We could extend the loans for a couple of years, we could reform them,” Welch said of the draft. “You could have an income cap, you could have a surcharge, you could have penalties for insurers who commit fraud. You could actually put some cost cuts in place that have bipartisan support.”

But, according to Welch, this law will only be implemented with the blessing of President Trump.

“It's going to require President Trump to play a major role in this because he has such influence over the Republican majority in the House and even the Senate,” Welch said.

Republicans and Democrats fought bitterly last fall to extend Obamacare subsidies, sparking a political standoff that led to… longest government shutdown in US history. Meanwhile, Trump has remained relatively hands-off, refusing to support any health care legislation.

Despite these obstacles, Welch said he believes the price hikes now facing people across the country will help break the logjam in Congress.

“Vermont farmers will see their insurance premium increase from $900 per month to $3,200 per month,” Welch said. “So they will actually face price shock. There will be a secondary impact because hospitals, especially in rural areas, will lose revenue.”

But even if the Senate advances a compromise bill on the ACA, the House will also have to support it. And the lower chamber has its own bipartisan effort to extend the ACA subsidy.

Just before the recess began in mid-December, four House Republicans joined Democrats in signing petition for dismissal to extend ACA subsidies for three years, forcing a vote on check when the house returns.

Hours after he opposed House Speaker Mike Johnson and joined Democrats, Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa. said Morning Edition Back in December, he said he believed the vote would gain even more Republican support.

“I don’t like pure expansion without any revenue cap,” Fitzpatrick said. “But given the choice between a clean three-year extension and letting them expire, it's not a difficult choice for me. And I suspect many of my other colleagues will feel the same way.”

Fitzpatrick and Rep. Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., have met with moderate senators about legislative options to extend ACA subsidies, a source familiar with the talks but not authorized to speak publicly told NPR.

The Senate will return on January 5th, and the House of Representatives will return to Capitol Hill on January 6th.