The US Senate rejected a Republican proposal to replace expiring Obamacare subsidies with federally funded health savings accounts, while paving the way for a Democratic bill later in the day — a Democratic bill aimed at extending the relevant tax credits, but is also expected to fail. There are only a few days left until the lawmakers' Christmas holidays, and there is no sign of progress in the deadlocked bipartisan negotiations. These two tit-for-tat party proposals have failed one after another, and the subsidies are almost certain to expire at the end of this month. More than 20 million Americans participating in Obamacare will face a sharp rise in Medicare premiums on January 1, forcing many of them to make tough choices about Medicare coverage and household finances. This result will have a broad impact on insurance companies, the healthcare industry, which accounts for one-sixth of the US economy, and may even affect next year's midterm elections.

The US Senate rejected a Republican proposal to replace expiring Obamacare subsidies with federally funded health savings accounts, while paving the way for a Democratic bill later in the day — a Democratic bill aimed at extending the relevant tax credits, but is also expected to fail. There are only a few days left until the lawmakers' Christmas holidays, and there is no sign of progress in the deadlocked bipartisan negotiations. These two tit-for-tat party proposals have failed one after another, and the subsidies are almost certain to expire at the end of this month. More than 20 million Americans participating in Obamacare will face a sharp rise in Medicare premiums on January 1, forcing many of them to make tough choices about Medicare coverage and household finances. This result will have a broad impact on insurance companies, the healthcare industry, which accounts for one-sixth of the US economy, and may even affect next year's midterm elections.