GOP Sen. Bernie Moreno said that Republicans will make their “best and final” offer after weeks of bipartisan talks to revive lapsed Obamacare subsidies.
“It’s going to be in the hands of the Democrats very shortly. … Here’s the exact thing that we think is the maximum we can sell our conference,” Moreno told reporters.
“This would be it,” the Ohioan added. “This is the best and final” offer.
Moreno is one of the lead GOP negotiators involved in months of talks about a potential two-year revival of the enhanced Obamacare tax credits that lapsed Jan. 1. The senators involved have discussed immediate new restrictions such as an income limit, as well as more sweeping changes kicking in the second year, including expanding the use of health savings accounts.
Moreno separately told reporters the group is proposing to maintain the status quo on the Hyde amendment, which restricts the use of federal dollars on abortion services.
Sen. Angus King (I-Maine), who has been involved with the talks, appeared optimistic about the chances of a deal, telling reporters Wednesday he expected to receive text later in the day. The health care discussions have been largely back-burnered as Congress has spent recent weeks dealing with an approaching government shutdown deadline.
“I think we’re very close,” said King, who caucuses with Democrats. “We have a solid bipartisan group, and hopefully we can move the bill once we get through this budget situation.”
But others involved in the negotiations have been surprised by Moreno’s comments about the impending release of a bill, noting that Democrats had not seen or signed off on anything yet, according to two people granted anonymity to speak candidly about the talks.
