Healthcare Policy Update: End-of-Year Outlook on ACA Subsidies and 2026 Coverage Landscape
As Congress prepares to adjourn for the holidays, end-of-year negotiations over Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium subsidies have stalled, making a lapse on January 1, 2026 increasingly likely. Despite a flurry of bipartisan activity in both chambers, lawmakers now concede that no legislative fix will be enacted before the credits expire, setting up a politically consequential start to the new year for millions of Americans who rely on the subsidies for affordable coverage. Below is Constitution Partner’s assessment of where things stand, and what to expect in 2026.
Senate Advances Defense Policy Bill After Weeks-Long Stalemate
Last Thursday, the Senate approved its version of the annual defense policy bill (S.2296) in a 77-20 vote. The measure authorizes $925.8 billion in national defense spending, $32.1 billion above the levels requested by the Trump administration. The vote ends a nearly month-long impasse over the amendment process that had stalled the bill since early September.
Thune Takes Charge: What to Expect from the New GOP Leadership in the House and Senate
This week, Senate Republicans elected South Dakota Senator John Thune as the new Senate Majority Leader, replacing Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell after 18 years of service. Thune will succeed McConnell as leader beginning in January and McConnell will remain in Congress.