
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said Sunday that he and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) had a “thoughtful conversation” in recent days regarding the latter’s concerns over health care premiums.
During an interview with Shannon Bream on Fox News Sunday, Johnson said he told Greene that “there are many Republicans in Congress that have been working around the clock on this.”
The Louisiana Republican added that while Greene does not serve on any of the committees working on health care policy, he “offered to have her come into the room and be a part of that discussion, if indeed she wants to do that.”
The Hill has reached out to Greene’s office asking for confirmation of the conservation, and its contents.
Last Tuesday, Greene said on the social platform X that she is “disgusted” that premiums are set to increase significantly in January if subsidies under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) expire, despite her issues with the 2010 law.
The ACA subsidies, first offered during the pandemic and extended by the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, are set to expire at the end of this year unless Congress intervenes. If they expire, health care premiums will more than double for millions of ACA Marketplace enrollees, according to health care policy research group KFF.
Greene added last week that “not a single Republican in leadership talked to us about this or has given us a plan to help Americans deal with their health insurance premiums DOUBLING!!!” On Capitol Hill, the Georgia Republican received pushback from Republicans and praise from Democrats.
However, Johnson said Sunday that Republicans have “hundreds” of ideas to lower costs, expand access and improve the quality of health care.
“There’s a lot that can be done, but you have to build consensus in a large, deliberative, public body like this,” he added.