White House to fund insurance payments

The White House is telling lawmakers that it intends to continue making Obamacare payments to insurers that reduce out-of-pocket costs for low-income enrollees, but has not made a final decision about future commitments, according to a White House official.

President Trump previously suggested that he might withhold the funds as a way to bring Democrats into healthcare negotiations. Some Democrats were planning to include them as part of a government spending bill due Friday, while others said the Trump administration needed to allow for the funding to continue and disputed that Obamacare allowed for the payments without congressional appropriation.