By Michael Katz | Monday, 24 November 2025 06:10 PM EST
The White House stated that President Donald Trump is very involved in discussions over a new plan to prevent sharp increases in health insurance costs, an issue central to the longest government shutdown in U.S. history.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters, “Healthcare is a topic of discussion happening very frequently and robustly inside the West Wing right now. The president is very much involved in these talks and focused on unveiling a healthcare proposal that will fix the system and bring down costs for consumers.” She added, “I will let the president speak for himself.”
Officials are considering a two-year extension of enhanced Affordable Care Act tax subsidies to attract Democrat support, with pandemic-era subsidies expiring at the end of this year. The White House plan is expected to include new income caps for enrollees to qualify for ACA tax credits, along with minimum premium payments. Requiring enrollees to pay a minimum premium addresses conservative concerns over the widespread availability of zero-premium ACA plans. The administration also intends to propose giving people the option to direct part of their tax credit into a tax-advantaged savings account if they switch to a lower-cost health plan.
Some Republicans are seeking a broader healthcare overhaul to replace the credits, while hard-line conservatives have pushed to let the subsidies lapse and moderate Republicans favor an extension. “Rather than giving money to insurance companies, we want to start giving the money to patients,” Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., said. “It nonetheless represents a starting point for serious negotiations,” Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., added.
