Republican lawmakers left a conference meeting March 19 and told reporters that ACA stabilization provisions are not included in the omnibus funding bill they are crafting, according to The Hill.
Suggested proposals such as cost-sharing subsidies and reinsurance have been tied to Hyde Amendment language by GOP legislators, which would restrict insurers offering abortion coverage from receiving federal funds. Democrats have taken a decisive stance against such restrictions, and because of this disagreement, House leadership has dropped the stabilization provisions entirely.
Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., has long championed ACA stabilization legislation, and suggested he might include it in the Senate's version of the funding bill and send it back to the House. However, if the same disagreements over the Hyde Amendment persist, the House is unlikely to approve it.
Mr. Alexander said he wanted Congress to consider some sort of stabilization package before premiums are set to rise Oct. 1.
"My only goal is I want senators and congressmen to have a chance to vote on this," said Mr. Alexander, according to another report by The Hill. "This is going to be announced on Oct. 1, one month before the election. I want them to be accountable for a vote on an opportunity that we all have to lower rates by 40 percent."