A bipartisan group of senators and House members led by Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) and Jen Kiggans (R-Va.) will be meeting Wednesday afternoon with Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) to see if there’s a path forward on bipartisan health care legislation, according to a person granted anonymity to share plans for the closed-door session.
The meeting is notable because Cassidy, chair of the Senate HELP Committee, has been working with Senate Finance Chair Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) on a party-line alternative to Democratic legislation that is expected to extend expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies. Gottheimer and Kiggans have been trying to forge a compromise on the subsidies; both are members of the Problem Solvers Caucus and have been working with a variety of lawmakers on the issue.
Bipartisan discussions on potential health plans remain fragmented. Speaker Mike Johnson is facing intense pressure from conservatives to let the subsidies expire, but vulnerable House Republicans are adamant that something needs to be done to address skyrocketing premiums before the end of the year.
Gottheimer and Kiggans are also set to announce a new “CommonGround 2025” framework Thursday that would extend the expiring premium tax credits. It is endorsed by more than 30 House members of both parties, according to a media advisory issued Wednesday.
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