From CBS News:
WASHINGTON (CBS NEWS) -- Republican and Democratic senators joined in announcing a plan Tuesday aimed at stabilizing America's health insurance markets in the wake of President Trump's order to terminate "Obamacare" subsidies. The president, at first, spoke approvingly of the deal, but as conservatives rebelled, the White House insisted Mr. Trump actually opposed the plan as a bailout of insurance companies.
The agreement followed weeks of negotiations between Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee and Democratic Sen. Patty Murray of Washington that sought to address health insurance markets that have been in limbo following GOP failures to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. The talks took on added urgency when Mr. Trump announced last week that he would end monthly "cost sharing reduction" payments the government makes to help insurance companies reduce costs for lower-income people.
Without that money, premiums for some people buying individual health plans would spike, and some insurers would flee the markets, industry officials warn.
The Alexander-Murray deal would continue the insurer payments for two years, while establishing new flexibility for states under former President Obama's law.
"This would allow the Senate to continue its debate about the long term of health care, but over the next two years I think Americans won't have to worry about the possibility of being able to buy insurance in counties where they live," Alexander said in announcing the deal after a closed-door lunch where he presented it to GOP senators.
"This agreement avoids chaos. I don't know a Republican or Democrat who benefits from chaos," he said.
Alexander said the president had encouraged his efforts in phone calls over the past two weeks. And at the White House, Mr. Trump responded positively, expressing optimism that Republicans would ultimately succeed in repealing Obamacare, but until then, "For a period of one year, two years, we will have a very good solution."
"It is a short-term solution so that we don't have this very dangerous little period, including a dangerous period for insurance companies, by the way," he said during a Rose Garden press conference.
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