Senate quietly works on bipartisan Obamacare fix as healthcare cliff nears

Americans brace for higher healthcare premiums as Obamacare subsidies set to expire Rep. Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., and Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., join 'Fox News Sunday' to discuss healthcare affordability concerns as Obamacare subsidies are set to expire. Obamacare subsidies that have dominated the conversation on Capitol Hill are set to expire after Congress failed to act, but a cohort of bipartisan senators are quietly working to find a solution for when lawmakers return next year. It has engulfed Congress since September and played a starring role in the longest-ever government shutdown. And both Republicans and Democrats tried, and failed, to pass their partisan plans to either extend or replace the Biden-era enhanced tax credits. They are guaranteed to expire, and millions of Americans who use the subsidies are set to experience hikes to their out-of-pocket costs for healthcare that can vary widely depending on the state. SANDERS BLASTED AFTER BLOCKING BIPARTISAN KIDS' CANCER RESEARCH BILL: 'GRINCH,' 'SELFISH' Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, is working with a cohort of Senate Democrats and Republicans to develop a plan to tackle expiring Obamacare subsidies. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images) Still, some in Congress haven’t given up on the issue. Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, held bipartisan confabs last week as lawmakers readied to leave Washington, D.C., to hash out a framework for an Obamacare fix that could meet the desires of both sides of the aisle. There are several political landmines that the group will have to overcome, like Democrats’ demands for a relatively clean, multiyear extension of the subsidies and Republicans' desires to add income caps and anti-fraud measures. "We have some momentum to enact a bipartisan bill that includes reforms," Collins said. "As you know, Senator Moreno and I convened an ideologically diverse group of both Democratic and Republican senators who met for nearly two hours on Monday night, and we're now working on drafting a specific bill to incorporate those conversations that will include reforms as well as the two-year extension." FOUR REPUBLICANS BUCK MIKE JOHNSON TO JOIN HAKEEM JEFFRIES' OBAMACARE PUSH The Senate appeared primed and ready to advance a government funding package, but a last-minute block from Senate Democrats forced Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., to abandon the plan, for now. (Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images) The plan has yet to see the light of day, but Collins and Moreno both already have a public proposal , as do several other lawmakers in the upper chamber. Their original plan, released earlier this month, would extend the subsidies by two years, put an income cap onto the subsidies for households making up to $200,000 and eliminate zero-cost premiums as a fraud preventive measure by requiring a $25 minimum monthly payment. That initial offering could give a glimpse into the final product, but there are still hurdles to getting a bill on the floor that could pass. Namely, Senate Republicans are largely against any kind of extension to the subsidies without major reforms and a...

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