ACA subsidies on the line as senators trade jabs before Thursday vote

A high-stakes health care fight is about to break open on Capitol Hill, with dueling plans from

Republicans and Democrats heading for back-to-back votes on Thursday, and neither side is expected

to hit 60. Republicans walked out of their lunch Tuesday ready to push their own proposal

a bill from Senators Cassidy and Crapo that doesn't extend the expiring ACA subsidies

but instead sends that money straight into health savings accounts for people on bronze-level

plans. Here's the majority leader. This is a failed program and it does nothing but drive

premiums up and the increase in premiums. Who's that going to? That's going to the insurance

companies. So the proposal we'll put out there will bring insurance premiums down. It will be

fiscally responsible and it'll get us away from the practice of giving the money all to the

insurance companies and put it back in the hands of the patients. John Thune says the GOP plan

saves money and lowers costs while Democrats he argues are staging a show vote to extend the current subsidies for three more years Those subsidies are set to expire at the end of the year now just three weeks away a change that could mean double premium

increases for millions of Americans. Here's Senator Richard Blumenthal. The American people

are not dumb. They see that these sham proposals for health care savings accounts and tax credits

are simply a ruse and a sham by Republicans to disguise the fact they are blocking

extension healthcare subsidies that make insurance affordable. Democrats say their plan is the fastest, cleanest fix. No gimmicks, no strings

and everyone in their caucus is on board. Republicans, meanwhile, are scrambling for unity

even floating several competing ideas in recent days. But with 53 GOP seats, no proposal

Democratic or Republican, is expected to cross the necessary 60-vote finish line for passage

Tomorrow, side-by-side votes will, however, force every senator to take a position before premium spike