Washington – Senate Majority Leader John Thune announced Tuesday that Republicans want to put the GOP-led health care bill up for a vote later this week, along with Democrats’ proposal to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits.
“This program desperately needs to be reformed, the Democrats have decided, ‘We’re not going to do anything to reform it,’ and so we’ll see where the votes are on Thursday,” Thune said at a news conference after a lunch meeting of Republican senators on Tuesday. “But we will have an alternative that reflects the views of the Republicans here in the United States Senate.”
Thune, a South Dakota Republican, noted that the Senate will vote earlier this week on the measure unveiled by GOP Sens. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and Mike Crapo of Idaho.
The legislation, called Health Care Freedom for Patients, does not extend enhanced tax credits. Instead, it will redirect funds to health savings accounts for those using bronze plans on state exchanges.
“It actually makes health insurance premiums more affordable,” Thune said. “It benefits the patient directly, not the insurance company, and it does so in a way that actually saves the taxpayer money. That’s a win-win proposition.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune speaks to reporters after the Senate Republican Policy Luncheon at the US Capitol on December 9, 2025 in Washington, DC / Credit: Heather Diehl / Getty Images
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, speaking shortly after the impeachment, called the Cassidy-Crapo bill “junk insurance.”
The announcement comes as Democrats plan to bring a three-year extension of the Enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credit up for a vote on Thursday. Democrats have the option to advance a bill of their choice as part of a deal to end the government shutdown.
The enhanced premium tax credit would help nearly 220 million low- and moderate-income Americans purchase health insurance by 2025. Premium costs are expected to average more than $1,000 a year after the deadline expires in January, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. And KFF estimates that the expiration of the tax credit will double annual premiums, from an average of $888 in 2025 to $1,904 in 2026.
The Democratic measure planned in the Senate is highly unlikely to win support from enough Republicans to move forward, though Democrats hope it will force GOP members to take a politically unpopular vote against extending the subsidies. A close vote on the GOP proposal could ease some of the pressure on Republicans, though some have advocated against the practice, as it would not produce a potential solution.
Senate Republicans have been considering their path forward for weeks, and other GOP lawmakers have unveiled their own plans in recent days. Some of those proposals would extend the tax credits with new limits, including a plan by Sens. Bernie Moreno of Ohio and Susan Collins of Maine that would extend them by two years. Another plan by Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas would extend the credits one year before redirecting the funds to HSA-style accounts in 2027.
With 53 Republicans in the upper chamber, the GOP-led bill is not expected to garner enough support to reach the 60-vote threshold needed to advance most legislation in the Senate. The democratic bill is also expected to be weak.
Thune told reporters Tuesday morning that Republicans don’t see the Democratic bill “as a lawmaking exercise.”
“Democrats obviously don’t, so what they’re putting up is a show vote — it’s a message bill,” Thune said. “And then we’ll see if they’re serious about doing something, and if at least some of them are good enough to figure out a way forward. We’ll see.”
Thune said the Democrats’ plan was designed “to make a political point.”
“At some point if they want to legislate, I think we have people on our side who are willing to do that,” he added.
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