Smucker votes to move forward with talks on GOP health care plan without Obamacare tax credit extension

• By Jade Campos / LNP | LancasterOnline

U.S. Rep. Lloyd Smucker voted along party lines Wednesday to move forward with a Republican health care plan that does not include an extension of Obamacare tax credits set to expire at the end of the year.

Smucker joined narrow Republican majorities on two key votes to continue discussion of a GOP-backed health care plan that would allow small businesses and individuals to group together to buy health care coverage.

The votes essentially blocked an attempt by House Democrats to force an immediate vote on a three-year extension of the pandemic-era health care subsidies, and it prevented moderates in both parties from offering amendments to the Republican health bill that could have reinstated Obamacare subsidies.

Smucker’s votes Wednesday offer a glimpse into where he stands amid a contentious, partisan debate about the future of the health care system as premiums are expected to soar in 2026 without an extension of tax credits for people who buy insurance through the Affordable Care Act marketplace.

Requests for comment from Smucker on the ongoing health care debate were not returned.

Four Republicans joined Democrats’ discharge petition Wednesday to force a vote to extend pandemic-era health care subsidies. Three of the four represent districts in Pennsylvania: Brian Fitzpatrick, Rob Bresnahan and Ryan Mackenzie, each of whom is expected to face a competitive reelection campaign next year.

A discharge petition allows House members to end-run the House Speaker, Mike Johnson, to force a vote on a proposal. House rules require a vote within seven legislative days; the vote on the health care proposal isn’t likely before January, as lawmakers are expected to adjourn Friday for a two-week holiday recess.

The Obamacare subsidies are set to expire Dec. 31, even if the House votes on the issue before the end of the week. The Senate already voted against extending the subsidies last week and it is not certain senators would take up the matter again.

The Senate also failed to pass a GOP proposal to replace the subsidies with direct payouts to consumers. The plan would have provided upwards of $1,500 in payments for health care savings accounts for Americans who earn less than 700% of the federal poverty level.

Fitzpatrick last week put forward his own discharge petition to force a vote to extend the health care subsidies for two years with additional eligibility requirements. But after Speaker Johnson announced Tuesday that he would not allow any amendments to the GOP-backed health bill, Fitzpatrick responded angrily:

“As I’ve stated many times before, the only policy that is worse than a clean three-year extension without any reforms, is a policy of complete expiration with any bridge,” he said in a statement Wednesday. “Unfortunately, it is House leadership themselves that have forced this outcome.”

Smucker did not sign on to Fitzpatrick’s petition. He did not respond to questions about whether he would support Fitzpatrick’s proposal or any kind of extension of the Obamacare subsidies. A question about whether he supported the Senate GOP proposal to offer direct payments to individuals also was not answered.

Past ACA criticism

Republicans have largely withheld support for Obamacare subsidies that were expanded during the pandemic, arguing they allow for easy “waste” and “fraud.”

During a November tele-town hall, Smucker repeated claims that people were “fraudulently” signing up for Obamacare plans.

“The money is all going to the insurance companies, and the individual may not even know they’re signed up, or … we know for certain that they’ve never accessed the care,” Smucker said during the call.

Smucker has voted against extending the Obamacare tax credits in the past, joining fellow Pennsylvania Republican Congressman Mike Kelly to oppose an extension amendment to the GOP’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” during a committee vote earlier this year.

Smucker, in a letter to Pennsylvania Insurance Department Commissioner Michael Humphreys in November, also claimed the department’s projections for “skyrocketing” premiums without an Obamacare extension are “misleading and paint a false picture for consumers.”

A September analysis by health care research group KFF found that premium payments will “more than double” in 2026 if the Obamacare tax credits expire based on state open enrollment data. Annual out-of-pocket premium payments, the report found, would jump from $888 dollars in 2025 to $1,904 in 2026.

More than 16,300 Lancaster County residents as of this year are signed up for health care through Pennie, Pennsylvania’s Affordable Care Act marketplace, according to an annual report by Pennie.

The Pennsylvania House on Wednesday passed a resolution to urge Congress to lower health insurance costs for people who use Pennie.

Health care could become a major factor in next year’s midterm elections, as the expiring Obamacare subsidies are by subscribers. Fitzpatrick, whose swing district covers Bucks County, has been a top Democratic target in past elections and is pushing to extend the subsidies as he seeks reelection.

The other two Republicans were elected last year after defeating Democratic incumbents in districts that have been tacking to the right for years. Democrats have named all three as top targets next year.