A pair of Republican senators said that ending the government shutdown could open the door to bringing up bills aimed at stabilizing Obamacare’s insurance exchanges by funneling more money to insurers.
Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Susan Collins, R-Maine, said Monday that an end to the three-day shutdown would bring Congress closer to getting deals on a variety of issues that include two Obamacare stabilization bills.
“My goal is to create a process to get us to yes on a lot of issues,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. “I think we are close to getting deals.”
Graham referred to several issues that include military spending, immigration, and the cost-sharing reduction payments to Obamacare insurers, known as CSRs.
Collins agreed to vote for tax reform last year after getting a commitment from Senate GOP leadership and President Trump that two Obamacare bills would become law by the end of the year. She also got on board tax reform after leadership agreed to include several of her amendments in the final bill.
However, passage of the two bills has been harder in the House where opposition among conservatives is widespread. Conservatives say the deals would be a “bailout” for a program they believe is failing and in need of a more drastic overhaul.
Collins said that negotiations with the House on the CSR deal are “going very well. The deadline slipped but the policy is what is important.”
Collins added that there is no immediate reason to get the bills passed now. She said tax reform’s repeal of the individual mandate, which requires everyone to get insurance, does not go into effect until 2019.
“We do have a little time here,” she said.
One bill from Sens Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., and Patty Murray, D-Wash., would fund CSRs for two years. In return, states would get limited flexibility to waive some Obamacare insurer regulations.
Another bill sponsored by Collins and Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., gives states $10 billion over two years to set up a reinsurance program. Reinsurance covers the sickest claims for an Obamacare insurer, who would in turn lower premiums for everyone else.
