In a rebuke to House GOP leaders, four Republicans in swing seats signed a special petition to force a vote — likely in January — on a plan from Democrats to extend health insurance subsidies for three years.
Instead of voting on the subsidy issue, House Republicans pushed ahead this week with a new GOP plan that in part lets small businesses band together to purchase health insurance — ideally at lower costs.
That measure passed the House late Wednesday, with Ohio’s delegation splitting along party lines. All 10 Ohio Republicans voted in favor of it, including U.S. Reps. Mike Turner, R-Dayton; and Warren Davidson, R-Troy.
“Our nation’s health care system needs reform to lower costs for patients,” said U.S. Rep. Max Miller, R-Rocky River, as Ohio Republicans rallied behind that GOP proposal on the House floor.
Ohio’s five Democrats voted against it, including U.S. Rep. Greg Landsman, D-Cincinnati (whose district includes all of Warren County). He called for a vote on extending health care subsidies.
“Just put it on the floor, vote for it, and give us the subsidies that pay for our health care,” Landsman said.
The House-passed measure is unlikely to pass the Senate, and members of Congress are returning to their districts for the holidays until January.
“It is unacceptable that Congress is about to head home having done nothing,” added U.S. Rep. Emilia Sykes, D-Akron. “This Congress is derelict.”
Ohio senators
In the Senate, U.S. Sen. Bernie Moreno has continued to cajole his colleagues to get behind compromise plans on the expiring health insurance subsidies, as Republicans worry about a backlash in the 2026 midterm elections.
“There’s a major consensus that we want to solve a problem for the American people,” Moreno said.
The Ohio Republican favors a middle ground, featuring a temporary extension of the Obamacare subsidies combined with reforms to the Affordable Care Act.
“At the end of the day what the American people need to understand — despite some of the headlines — is that there are people working here with good intentions to actually solve problems,” Moreno said.
But Ohio is a good example of how cutting a deal on a subject like this could get tricky in an election year — as the battle over higher health insurance premiums has already found its way into the 2026 campaign for U.S. Senate in the state.
“Jon Husted voted to cut Medicaid and raise health care premiums,” said former U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat running against Sen. Jon Husted in 2026.
Democrats have been lobbing attacks at Husted for days on the subject. They believe they have the GOP on the defensive on health care and hope to hammer that home in the months ahead.
“Ohio won’t forget in November 2026,” Brown said this week.
Husted has called for reforms to the ACA but backs a proposal that would extend subsidies for two years to allow Congress more time to develop a more comprehensive plan.
“I wasn’t in Congress when Democrats created the broken ACA system or the Biden COVID subsidies, but I’m working to be part of the bipartisan solution to make health care more affordable for American families,” Husted said earlier this month.
“Without any action, many American families will see their premiums rise significantly. American health care is not underfunded; it is under-accountable.”
When Congress returns in January, health insurance and broader consumer affordability questions will still be on the agenda. Whether anything gets done in an election year is a different matter.
“We’re going to continue this work,” Moreno promised.
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