The Washington Post reported that as the Senate reaches a potential final vote on the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act, before it goes to the President, House Speaker Paul Ryan may be open to passing legislation in the House of Representatives that addresses some senators concerns over how the tax bill will affect healthcare.
The proposed legislation Ryan is considering addressing in the House could offset the tax bill’s repeal of the individual mandate, and temporarily renew cost-sharing subsidies affecting individual insurance premiums for low-income people, according to the story.
The tax bill ends the requirement established by the 2010 Affordable Care Act that most people have healthcare insurance or pay a tax penalty. Senators Susan Collins of Maine and Bill Nelson of Florida proposed legislation to help states set up programs that aid insurers with high-cost claims, which ultimately aims to lower premiums.
The Post reports that Collins will support the tax bill, because Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell agreed to pass potentially two bills that attempt to mitigate an ensuing rise in premiums, which President Donald Trump told Senate Republicans he would support.
The second bill, by Senators Lamar Alexander of Tennessee and and Patty Murray of Washington, would restore CSR payments to insurers for two years in order to help offset the cost of subsidies for low-income consumers, which many conservatives view as an insurer bailout.
The self-imposed deadline for the first tax overhaul since 1986 is December 22nd, according to Reuters.
After securing significant changes, as well as commitments to pass legislation to help lower health insurance premiums, I will cast my vote in support of the Senate tax reform bill. (1/2) https://t.co/NhwtmYm22E
— Sen. Susan Collins (@SenatorCollins) December 1, 2017
