Congress faces December deadline with healthcare premiums set to spike

This December Capitol Hill seems to be following a familiar script.

Congress has a deadline to act on (insert question here). And if lawmakers don't act by Jan. 1, then (insert consequences here). So everyone on Capitol Hill is arguing about the finishing line (this is the problem). Lawmakers and staff are confused. Everyone is worried that Congress will successfully solve the problem and send everyone home for the holidays.

There's always the fear that Congress will turn into the Grinch, stealing Whoville's Christmas toys.

But legislators often have to work with the zeal and efficiency of Santa's elves, holding sessions late at night, at night and on weekends, usually ending on (insert question here) St. Nick time.

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This pattern is always the same. With minor variations.

This parliamentary dance of the sugar plum fairies often centers on government funding deadlines, the debt ceiling and tax policy. This was the case when the Senate passed the first version of Obamacare on Christmas Eve morning in 2009. Republicans walked on thin ice to finalize the tax reform package in December 2017.

Lawmakers moved quickly to approve the defense policy bill in late 2020 and then ensured there was enough time on the calendar to override President Trump's veto of the legislation before the end of the 116th Congress in early January 2021.

Deadlines sometimes become political. In December 1998 and December 2019, respectively, the House of Representatives was eager to complete the articles of impeachment of both Presidents Clinton and Trump.

So, after everyone got this fall's government shutdown on their systems, lawmakers were far from ready to address its root cause. Democrats have refused to fund the government unless Congress addresses skyrocketing health care premiums. These premiums skyrocket before January 1st. And no one had reached enough consensus to pass the bill before the end of the year.

More.

But it's only mid-December. And everyone knows that the Christmas legislative spirit in Congress may not take hold immediately. Some of that holiday magic may have officially arrived Thursday afternoon after the Senate torched competing Republican and Democratic health care plans.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck SchumerDN.Y., secured a three-year extension of current Obamacare subsidies without any built-in reforms.

“This will require Democrats to abandon positions that they know are untenable and seriously sit down and work with Republicans,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said of the Democrats' proposal.

Thune characterized the Democrats' gambit as “political propaganda.”

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Republicans even considered not proposing a health care plan at all. It was a group of Senate Democrats who ultimately helped stop the filibuster and reopen the government last month, which required a vote on health care (not a fix, but a vote) in December. So, that's all Thune would agree to.

“If Republicans simply vote against the Democrats' proposal, we will allow insurance premiums to rise without the Republicans offering anything. What message will this send? asked Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri. “I know what people in Missouri will think. They'll look at it and say, “Well, you guys aren't doing anything. You just let my insurance premiums go up.”

Perhaps it will come to this.

So, there is a holiday healthcare affordability crisis.

“People are now looking at what lies ahead, and they are very, very scared,” said Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee.

But most Senate Republicans have rallied behind a plan crafted by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Michael Crapo, R-Idaho, and Senate Health Committee Chairman Bill Cassidy, R-Louisiana. The bill would not extend Obamacare subsidies. Instead, it would allow people to deposit money into a health savings account and seek coverage.

“Our plan will reduce insurance premiums by 1% and save taxpayers money,” Crapo boasted. “On the contrary, the temporary solution of the Democrats COVID bonuses don’t cut costs or premiums at all.”

With prices soaring, Republicans are desperate to get something done, even if it's a leaf of fig pudding, as they face races next year.

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“This has nothing to do with me. This has everything to do with people in Ohio and across America who should be able to afford access to health care,” said Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio.

Gov. Mike DeWine, R-Ohio, nominated Husted to succeed Vice President Vance after he left the Senate. Thus, Husted will run for the Senate for the first time in 2026.

There were rumors that Republicans might allow a limited extension of Obamacare assistance if Democrats agreed to restrictions on abortion in return.

“Not from the table. They know it damn well,” Schumer thundered.

Thus, it took the competing plans 60 years to overcome the procedural hurdle. But it also meant that both plans were doomed to fail unless the problem was resolved by the end of the year.

“We need to have something viable on the ballot before we leave here,” lamented Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C.

That's why some magical congressional advent calendars often force lawmakers to scramble for a last-minute solution.

“Every lawmaker here would like to be home for Christmas,” said Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan. “This pressure forces us to unite.”

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We'll soon find out whether everyone will commit to exploiting skyrocketing premiums after days of political posturing.

“This should have been done in July or August. So we met the deadline,” Hawley said.

And delay on the part of legislators could yet destroy them.

“Health care is incredibly complex,” said Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-S.D. “You can't reform it and reduce costs overnight.”

Speaker of the House Mike JohnsonThe Louisiana Republic is now promising to introduce a separate, as-yet-unwritten health care bill in the coming days.

“You'll see a package coming out next week that will actually lower insurance premiums for 100% of Americans,” Johnson said.

But it's unclear whether Congress will be able to pass anything.

“I think there is a fear of working with Democrats. There is a fear of taking action without the president's blessing,” said Rep. Susie Lee, D-Nev.

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That's why it's entirely possible that Congress will leave town for the holidays without solving the problem.

“We're going to be used like a sledgehammer in a year,” said Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb.

That's not a good signal for Republicans—especially on affordability—heading into the midterm elections.

“If there is no vote, it will go against what the majority of the House wants and what the vast majority of the American people want,” said Rep. Kevin Kiely, R-Calif.

This political concern may be enough to force the parties to find some Christmas magic and resolve the issue before the holidays.

This is one of the Christmas scenarios in Congress.

But there is also a scenario that allows you to not fix anything.

If Congress leaves town, every communications director on Capitol Hill will write a press release accusing the other side of channeling Ebenezer Scrooge and declaring, “Bang, nonsense!” or throwing a lump of coal into voters' stockings at Christmas.

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This is the script.

And every year he takes me on a sleigh ride.