Senate Republican 'open' to conversations about extending ACA subsidies 

Republican Sen. Katie Britt (Ala.) said Sunday she is "open" to conversations on extending Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies amid the government shutdown.

“I'm absolutely open to having [a] conversation, but we're not going to extend a program that is wrought with fraud, waste and abuse,” Britt told Dana Bash on CNN's "State of the Union." “There would have to be adjustments to this program to make it make sense for the American people.”

According to health policy research group KFF, the majority of alleged fraud in ACA enrollment stems from agents, brokers, web brokers and other third parties. 

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) told MSNBC on Wednesday that he offered Democratic leaders a vote on the subsidies, but called for income caps to qualify for them. 

Britt also called for income caps to qualify for the subsidies, despite her belief that the health care needs a “total overhaul.” But the Alabama Republican only wants to have those discussions once the shutdown, which began on Oct. 1, ends.

“I am absolutely willing to have a conversation, but we have got to open the government first,” Britt added.

The credits, first offered during the COVID-19 pandemic and extended via the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, expire at the end of this year. Premiums will increase by over twofold next year if the subsidies expire, according to KFF. 

Amid the shutdown, Democrats in Congress have called for a permanent extension of the credits. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) told MSNBC last Thursday that the GOP’s support for extending the subsidies must be “ironclad” for negotiations to occur.