Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle agreed during a Senate hearing Wednesday that something has to change to make health care affordable. But time is rapidly dwindling to reach a bipartisan fix.
"We've got to have a solution for three weeks from now," said Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA).
At the end of the year, Biden-era subsidies are set to expire for millions of Americans who receive their health care through the Affordable Care Act.
According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, without those subsidies 4.2 million more Americans will go without health insurance over the next decade.
Democrats largely want to extend those subsidies.
And some Republican lawmakers support extending the subsidies with changes, but the party in power hasn't agreed on a broader health care plan that could replace the Affordable Care Act.
Some, including Sen. Cassidy, are proposing a plan that would offer Americans more flexibility in how they use their health savings accounts.
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With just weeks before the deadline there's some pessimism that a deal can come together.
SCRIPPS NEWS' NATHANIEL REED: is there a bipartisan middle ground that could be reached with Republicans?
SEN. CATHERINE CORTEZ MASTO (D-NV): always. But it has to start on both sides, and right now the Republicans are in control.
"I think we'll probably have some vote of some kind on two dueling provisions, but again I'm not very optimistic that the Democrats are willing to reform a broken system," said Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO).
As lawmakers debate a path forward, health care will continue to stay in the spotlight.
A Scripps News/Talker Research poll found one in four Americans say health care is the most important issue facing the country today.
