Senate Democrats opt for partisan vote on a 3-year extension of enhanced Obamacare subsidies

Senate Democrats plan to use their GOP-promised health care vote next week to try to advance a clean three-year extension of enhanced Obamacare subsidies because they say no bipartisan path is available.

The Senate will take up the proposal next Thursday, but it cannot get the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster. Democrats said Republicans never offered them an alternative that could. 

“They couldn’t propose something that was concrete,” said Sen. Peter Welch, Vermont Democrat, who was involved in bipartisan talks. 

The base subsidies, known as Affordable Care Act premium tax credits, do not expire. But Democrats’ COVID-era expansion that extended the benefits to families earning more than 400% of the federal poverty level and made them more generous across the board will sunset on Dec. 31. 

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