Months of opposition ignored: Husted performs U-turn on ACA tax credit extension

On Monday, U.S. Sen. Jon Husted (R-OH) called for a bipartisan solution on extending the Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits, contradicting months of voting and speaking out against extension attempts.

Husted made his statement while speaking at Columbus State University on Monday.

“What I hope we can do is, on a bipartisan basis, provide for some kind of extension but eliminate the fraud that we know exists in them and then fix the long-term drivers of health care costs,” Husted said.

Husted’s words are a complete reversal of his actions and words over the last year. During a radio interview on “The Brian Thomas Morning Show” last month, Husted referred to the ACA tax credits as a “pandemic failure” and that they do nothing to drive down the cost of health care.

If the tax credits expire at the end of 2025, health insurance premiums are expected to significantly increase for millions of Americans. Average premiums in Ohio are projected to spike by 83%.

When asked if he could do something to extend the subsidies by Spectrum News, Husted opted to blame the Democrats for their temporary solution.

In a lengthy speech on the Senate floor earlier this month, Husted also criticized the subsidies as “Biden COVID bonuses” and that the program is rife with massive fraud.

Republicans have also rejected multiple Democrat attempts to extend the tax credits.

Sherrod Brown responds

Former U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, Husted’s probable opponent in next year’s election, gave a statement criticizing Husted’s record against working class Ohioans since joining the Senate earlier this year.

“Jon Husted has already voted against lowering health care costs – and it was to pay for tax cuts to billionaires,” Brown said. “Half a million Ohioans are facing higher premiums due to a health care crisis that Husted himself created. It’s clear Jon Husted’s priorities are with billionaires and special interests – not working-class Ohioans.” 

Republicans have routinely criticized the United States’ current health care system but have failed to come up with a long-term solution in the 15 years since President Barack Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law. While health care outcomes in America continue to be worse than other high-income countries, Republicans were unwilling to temporarily extend the tax credits during the government shutdown negotiations over the past two months.

Many members of the Democratic party support implementing a single-payer public option health care system in America (e.g. Medicare for All), but party leadership and moderates have been focused on expanding the ACA. Implementing a public option is not possible while Republicans control Congress and the presidency, making an extension on the tax credits necessary to avoid increasing out-of-pocket costs for Americans.