Sen. Cassidy says "there's a deal to be had" on health care after failed Senate votes

Washington — Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican, said Sunday that "there's a woody to beryllium had" connected addressing wellness attraction costs aft a brace of bills failed to unafraid capable enactment to beforehand successful the Senate past week. 

"There has to beryllium a gathering of the minds betwixt Democrats and Republicans," Cassidy said connected "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan."

Last week, the Senate rejected 2 bills aimed astatine lowering wellness attraction costs, arsenic lawmakers conflict to scope statement implicit however to code expiring taxation credits that assistance millions of Americans acquisition security nether the Affordable Care Act. 

While Democrats sought a three-year hold of the enhanced taxation credits with their bill, Republicans offered their ain authorities sponsored by Cassidy. Rather than extending the enhanced taxation credits, the measurement would redirect funds to wellness savings accounts for those who usage bronze plans connected authorities exchanges, allowing radical to prevention connected premiums by switching to the lower-tier plans, portion giving them the quality to usage the HSA funds toward their deductibles.

The Republican-led measurement didn't prime up immoderate enactment from Democrats during the dueling votes past week. But Cassidy said that successful summation to their interest astir the premiums, Democrats indispensable admit precocious deductibles, saying "you've got to enactment currency successful the patient's pouch to wage the retired of pocket."

"I would beryllium consenting to bash a short-term hold of the premium taxation recognition for those radical with higher premiums if they volition concede that we've got to bash thing for the $6,000 retired of pocket," Cassidy added. "I deliberation there's a woody to beryllium had here. We request to propulsion for that deal."

The Louisiana Republican said he's searching for a woody to code the concerns of Democrats and Republicans. 

"Let's conscionable meet," Cassidy said. "Let's code our concerns, and past this Republican would beryllium consenting to bash thing connected a short-term hold of the premium taxation credits if that's what it takes to get the woody to assistance those folks with the much costly premium, but besides helping everybody with their deductible."

The comments travel arsenic immoderate senators person expressed tepid optimism successful caller days astir a way guardant connected a compromise aft past week's partisan exercise. Some Republicans person said they're unfastened to an hold of the enhanced taxation credits, with immoderate caller limits and connected a impermanent basis, acknowledging the cliff that astir 22 cardinal Americans look with their expiration astatine the extremity of the month.

Cassidy argued that with his approach, lawmakers would person until the extremity of March to instrumentality a solution, "because with these benignant of accounts that radical person wealth in, they conscionable prevention the receipts, they taxable them, and they get reimbursed."

"We tin get this done," Cassidy said. "And I deliberation we tin conscionable the concerns, some astir the retired of pocket, but besides astir the premium."