House Speaker Mike Johnson, Reps. Lisa McClain and Steve Scalise, left to right, during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Oct. 16, 2025. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
On one side of the divide are members of the House Freedom Caucus, who have signaled vehement opposition to any straightforward extension of the Obamacare credits.
"What we really need to do is stop talking about the COVID subsidies, because it's not working, and the entire system that they're based on is a complete and total Titanic that's going down," said Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., a member of the conservative group. "Why would we throw any more bad money after this sinking ship?"
But some Republican lawmakers are floating a one-year extension as a way to buy Congress more time to find an off-ramp to eventually ending the Obamacare subsidies — something all GOP lawmakers who spoke with Fox News Digital agreed on.
DEMOCRATS BLAME GOP FOR OBAMACARE WOES TIED TO PANDEMIC-ERA SUBSIDIES
"I am not at all in love with the ACA or Obamacare. I get the concern that many of the members have with it. But as I've said before, if you don't have something good to replace it with, it is political insanity, and it's just the wrong thing to do — to let it lapse, get rid of it and have nothing else because the rates are going to go up a lot," said Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J., who styled himself a "populist conservative."
He called on Republicans to "hold our nose, have a one-year extension, make some minor to moderate modifications."
"And during that year, instead of waiting till the last week or the last few days during that year, to really hammer out something that's real, that isn't B.S., where we are offering people health care, where it’s relatively affordable, and then we can make the big change that people want to make," Van Drew said.
He’s one of 14 House Republicans backing a bipartisan bill, led by Rep. Jen Kiggans, R-Va., to extend the Obamacare subsidies for one year.
Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J., participates in a House Judiciary Committee markup in Washington, May 16, 2024. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
A House Republican familiar with leadership dynamics suggested that income caps for Obamacare are part of the discussion on a potential healthcare package.
That House Republican also suggested that tighter "guardrails" like income verification standards for government healthcare could also be on the table.
"If you have a right to a benefit, you have a responsibility to prove you are eligible for that benefit," they said. "That would save a ton of dollars."
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House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., floated several ideas up for discussion but signaled that any moves to extend Obamacare would require significant changes to the system first.
"You've seen additional ideas on health savings accounts and pooling together amongst small businesses, other ideas like PBM reform," he told reporters earlier this week. "So all the things we've been working on are focused on lowering costs for families as opposed to just shoveling more money into a failed, broken system."
Elizabeth Elkind is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital leading coverage of the House of Representatives. Previous digital bylines seen at Daily Mail and CBS News.
Follow on Twitter at @liz_elkind and send tips to elizabeth.elkind@fox.com
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/house-republicans-divided-over-obamacare-gop-eyes-fix-after-shutdown