In preparation for a decision by the Supreme Court to strike down Obamacare subsidies, a number of Senate Republicans are backing a plan that would temporarily restore them for current enrollees.
According to
Politico, 31 senators have signed onto a bill authored by Wisconsin GOP Sen. Ron Johnson that would extend the subsidies through September 2017 but, at the same time, repeal Obamacare's individual and employer mandates and insurance coverage requirements.
"In that moment of what could be political chaos, we're offering such a reasonable proposal that solves a mess," Johnson said, according to Politico. "It fixes a mess caused by a sloppily written law, unlawfully implemented. All we're asking for is a little bit of freedom back, which would be, I think, pretty popular."
The measure has the backing of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and the rest of the GOP leadership, as well as a number of lawmakers who are facing tough re-elections.
But Johnson's plan is unlikely to gain support from the White House or Senate Democrats.
The president has already been clear that he will not support legislation that would undermine the main tenets of Obamacare.
And Republican colleagues in the House are also unlikely to sign on, Politico said.
"If you're voting for an extension, you're essentially voting for the continuation of Obamacare — that's a real problem," said Republican Study Committee Chairman Bill Flores, according to Politico.
If the court's ruling in King v. Burwell in June strikes down the subsidies, Democrats are likely to come forward with a solution but Republicans could face a political backlash if they do not have a plan to insure the millions of people who can no longer afford to pay for their coverage.
"If it just blows up, then the president is able to just say, 'Here's my remedy' … and we've got to have a substantive alternative," said Illinois GOP Rep. Peter Roskam, according to Politico. "You want to make sure that there's a rational transition and that we can get to a post-Obamacare era without losing whatever momentum you have in this issue."
A number of different plans by Republicans are circulating in the House, including one of by Budget Committee Chairman Tom Price, which would set in place a system of tax credits to replace the subsidies.
A
different plan by Ways and Means Chairman Paul Ryan, Energy and Commerce Chairman Fred Upton, and Education and Workforce Chairman John Kline would give states the power to "opt out" of the healthcare law's insurance requirements and mandates while offering consumers subsidies to help buy insurance.
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