Sen. Cassidy says he's working with White House on plan to cut health insurance costs ahead of vote in December

Source: CBS News

November 14, 2025 / 4:54 PM EST


Sen. Bill Cassidy, the chairman of the Senate health committee, says "we're absolutely in communication with the White House" about a plan to bring down the cost of health care for Americans. He told "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" in an interview airing Sunday he's aiming to have a proposal ready for a vote that is set to take place in mid-December.

Tax credits for about 22 million Americans who buy their health insurance through the Affordable Care Act's marketplace were at the center of the government shutdown that ended Wednesday. A Biden-era expansion of those subsidies is expiring at the end of the year, so unless they're extended, many consumers will likely face far higher insurance premiums.

Democrats pushed Republicans to extend the subsidies as a condition for reopening the government, but they eventually settled for the promise of a vote next month on extending the enhanced tax credits.

Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican, said of any plan to extend the subsidies, "Let's recognize what you're doing just gives money to insurance companies." Instead, he's asking Republican and Democratic colleagues to collaborate on lowering health insurance premiums and directly giving Americans money to help them offset high deductibles that are often a feature of the lower-cost policies under the ACA.

Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/sen-cassidy-white-house-plan-cut-health-insurance-costs-december-vote/