The U.S. Senate has shot down a proposal to extend health care subsidies for three years. Both U.S. Sens. Rick Scott and Ashley Moody voted against the proposal.
The rejection from Florida’s Senate delegation came even though Florida has 4.7 million consumers, more than any other state, relying on tax credits obtained in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace.
As of now, those consumers are set to see premiums increase without subsidies that were expanded in 2020 in response to the COVID pandemic. A shorter extension of the subsidies is still possible, but no plan has been agreed upon despite price hikes nearing.
The Florida Senators drew pushback from Florida Democrats immediately.
“It is exactly two weeks before Christmas and 4.7 million Floridians are terrified they are going to lose access to their healthcare,” said Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried.
“Instead of fighting for their health and safety our Senators, Rick Scott and Ashley Moody have decided to leave them out in the cold by voting against ensuring their health and safety. Floridians are scrambling to keep food on the table and the lights on during this affordability crisis. The least our elected officials can do is ensure that their healthcare costs don’t balloon by thousands of dollars, pushing more Florida families to the brink.”
But it’s little surprise that either Scott or Moody voted against the bill.
Scott, a Naples Republican, made clear throughout a Rescuing the American Dream summit he led in Washington last week that he considers the ACA subsidies bad policy. He instead has pushed his alternative More Affordable Care Act, which seeks out free market solutions to reduce the costs paid by consumers.
Ahead of the vote, he said Congress should not continue down the road of further subsidizing insurance.
“American families see clearly that Obamacare has failed to deliver on its promises — instead, it created a broken system that screwed over the American people with higher costs and fewer options,” Scott said.
“Families are left paying higher premiums and higher deductibles for health care plans that don’t even fit their needs. We can fix that: we just have to let Americans be the consumer so they can get care that truly fits their needs and drive competition to lower costs.”
Shortly after the vote against extending subsidies, Scott’s Office issued a roundup of conservative groups endorsing his bill, though the Republican majority in the Senate has failed to coalesce around Scott’s plan, or any other specific health care proposal.
Moody hasn’t been vocal on health care, but was among the 48 Republicans who voted against taking up a Democratic bill to extend subsidies. While 51 Senators supported taking up the bill, Senate rules require 60 votes to advance legislation.
Notably, Moody, who was appointed to the Senate in January, stands for election in 2026. A Republican polling firm in October released survey results earlier this year showing the Plant City Republican may be more vulnerable to a challenge if she does not support extending tax credits, a program supported by 73% of Florida voters.
Democrats suggested they intend to highlight the vote against subsidies in the Midterms. Due to the vote, all Floridians receiving subsidies will likely see them expire at the close of 2025.
“If these subsidies expire, costs will skyrocket forcing families to make impossible choices — including forgoing healthcare. That means higher costs, strained services, and longer wait times for everyone,” Fried said.
“Floridians deserve better. Healthcare should not be a partisan issue and it’s a shame that millions of Americans have to endure this during the holidays.”
The debate around the subsidies for insurance were at the heart of a government shutdown this year.
