House Republicans, led by Speaker Mike Johnson, on Friday unveiled a limited health care package to address rising costs, but the plan does not extend enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies that are set to expire.
The GOP proposal, which will receive a vote in the House of Representatives sometime next week, would expand the availability of association health plans and what are known as “CHOICE agreements”; impose new transparency requirements on pharmacy benefit managers to reduce drug costs; and money appropriated for cost-sharing reductions to reduce premiums in the individual market.
Association health plans allow employers to join together to purchase coverage.
In particular, the 111-page document extent I wouldn’t funnel extra money into health savings accounts.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) discusses rising health insurance premiums as U.S. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) (L) and House Majority Leader Tom Emmer (R-MN) look on during a press conference at the U.S. Capitol on December 10, 2025 in Washington, DC. Republican leaders discussed health care plans and a vote is looming on an extension of ACA subsidies.
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“As Democrats demand taxpayers write bigger checks to insurance companies to hide the cost of their failed bill, House Republicans are addressing the real drivers of health care costs to provide affordable care, increase access and choice, and restore the integrity of our nation’s health care system for all Americans,” Johnson said in a statement Friday.
Republicans are also discussing holding a vote on an amendment to the health care package that would extend ACA subsidies. Details of the amendment are still being discussed, according to Republican leadership aides.
The Rules Committee plans to review the bill at 2 p.m. Tuesday. The House would then have to vote on an amendment related to extending the subsidies and then the underlying bill before sending it to the Senate.
Speaking to reporters Friday, President Donald Trump said he wants a health care plan that directly channels aid to patients, adding that people should be given money for health care through an insurance account.
“I think what most Republicans want to see, what I want to see, and I leave it to them, and I hope they put great legislation on this desk right here: we want to see all the money that has been wasted and given to insurance companies because Obamacare is horrible health insurance,” Trump said.
He added: “And we want to get the money to the people. They’ll do it in the form of an insurance account, a health care account, or whatever we can create in many different ways. We want to give the money to the people and let people buy their own great health care, and they’ll save a lot of money, and it’ll be great,” he continued.
But Trump also kept the door slightly open to extending the ACA tax credits, saying he would “study” the possibility of doing so with the assurance that an extension deal would come with some caveats that Republicans want.
House Republican leadership aides hope to pass the health care package next week, the last legislative week of 2025 in which the House is expected to be in session.
U.S. President Donald Trump marks the day he signs a bill to award Congressional gold medals to members of the 1980 U.S. Olympic men’s hockey team, which won gold after defeating a heavily favored team from the Soviet Union in their “Miracle on Ice” medal round game, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, United States, December 12, 2025.
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“The Reduced Health Care Premiums for All Americans Act will actually provide affordable health care, and we look forward to advancing its passage in the House,” Johnson said.
Even if the measure passes the House, the Senate is not likely to take up any other major health care action next week, so those enhanced premium subsidies will almost certainly expire.
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries called the Republican proposal “toxic legislation” that does not address the upcoming ACA premium increase.
“House Republicans are not serious about ending the health crisis they have unleashed on this country,” Jeffries said in a statement. “After promising legislation for months, this eleventh-hour measure fails to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits that tens of millions of Americans depend on to pay for their health care.”
Jeffries said Democrats are willing to work with Republicans to extend the subsidies, saying, “We are ready to work with anyone in good faith on the other side of the aisle who wants to prevent the Affordable Care Act tax credits from expiring at the end of the month.”
Before the measure was introduced Friday, nearly a dozen House Republicans had publicly challenged Johnson in trying to force a vote on extending the expiring subsidies.
As of Thursday, 11 Republicans had signed in two discharge petitions (one introduced by a Republican and the other by a Democrat) that would expand subsidies.
In the Senate, two competing health care proposals aimed at addressing expected premium increases (one championed by Democrats, the other by Republicans) could not move forward earlier this week.
