WASHINGTON, D.C. — After years slamming Obamacare as a “disaster,” President Donald Trump is now moving to keep one of its most important pieces alive.
According to new reporting, the White House is preparing a health-policy framework that would extend Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium subsidies for two years, likely covering 2026 and 2027. Those subsidies are scheduled to expire on December 31, 2025, setting up a massive premium spike if Congress does nothing.
So far, this is not law and not even a formal bill. It’s a plan being floated to reporters and tested in the markets. A White House official told Reuters there would be no health announcement today, which means the details could still change — or stall.
What’s on the table
Here’s what’s been reported about the draft plan:
The White House is looking at a two-year extension of ACA premium tax credits.
The proposal would keep subsidies in place, but add:
A new income cap on who qualifies (one option under discussion: up to 700% of the federal poverty level).
A minimum monthly premium, so even heavily subsidized enrollees pay something out of pocket.
Republicans in Congress are split. Hard-liners want to let the extra help die on schedule, moderates want an extension, and some lawmakers want to trade the current subsidies for a different system entirely. All of this comes after a 40+ day federal shutdown where Democrats demanded a subsidy extension in the funding bill and Republicans forced that fight into a separate December vote instead.
Why this matters for regular people
Right now:
About 24 million people are enrolled in ACA marketplace plans.
Roughly 22 million of them get income-based subsidies that make premiums remotely affordable.
If the enhanced subsidies expire at the end of 2025:
KFF estimates premiums will more than double on average for many enrollees in 2026.
Middle-income families—especially those above 400% of the poverty line—would be hit hardest.
Some states are already seeing people delay sign-ups or drop coverage because they don’t know if help will still exist when the bill comes due.
A two-year extension wouldn’t fix the system, but it would:
Delay the worst of the 2026 premium shock
Keep millions from being priced out overnight
Give Congress yet another window to decide whether to make the help permanent, redesign it, or kill it later.
The political whiplash
The hypocrisy angle here is pretty blunt. Earlier this month, Trump went on Truth Social and called the ACA subsidies a “windfall for Health Insurance Companies, and a DISASTER for the American people.” He has tried and failed to repeal Obamacare before, and has repeatedly promised a “much better” Republican replacement that still doesn’t exist in concrete, passable form.
Now, with:
Premiums projected to more than double in 2026
A shutdown hangover still fresh
Midterm elections on the horizon
The White House is quietly shifting toward keeping the same subsidies he’s been trashing, just with new caps and strings attached.
Public opinion is not on his side if he lets them lapse. A recent KFF poll found about 74% of U.S. adults want the subsidies extended, including majorities of Democrats, independents, and about half of Republicans.