Iowa U.S. House Delegation Largely Wary of Extending Health Care Tax Credits

Be the reason future generations know what mattered in Decorah. Fund Decorah News today. While U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn has expressed support for a bipartisan deal to extend federal health care subsidies under the Affordable Care Act, Iowa's other U.S. representatives said they are looking at other ways to pursue lower health care costs. Enhanced ACA tax credits, introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic and extended through the Inflation Reduction Act under President Joe Biden, are set to expire at the end of 2025. This lapse is expected to cause health care premiums to rise—and potentially double—for people receiving health coverage through ACA-established Health Insurance Marketplaces. Extending these tax credits was the main issue Senate Democrats sought to address through the 43-day federal government shutdown. The government reopened with no action taken on ACA enhanced tax credits—though Senate Majority Leader John Thune agreed to hold a vote on the subject in December as part of the agreement to end the shutdown. While a vote on ACA subsidies is expected in the Senate, no such agreement has been reached in the U.S. House—and talks appeared to have stalled with President Donald Trump's administration on moving forward with a measure to extend these tax credits for a limited period of time. While House GOP leadership has not moved forward with any commitments to address the issue, certain U.S. House Republicans — including Nunn, representing Iowa's 3rd Congressional District—have proposed legislation to address the issue. Nunn cosponsored a bill called the "Fix It Act" on Nov. 25, a bipartisan measure that would extend the ACA premium tax credits by two years while also implementing new income limits and creating new penalties aimed at eliminating fraud in the system. Nunn said in a statement provided to the Des Moines Register the bill was "the kind of bipartisan fix we need for short-term stability so that we can negotiate long-term reform." Katie Smith, a spokesperson for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said in a statement that Nunn has changed his stance on ACA tax credits because he is expected to face a competitive reelection race in 2026. "After trying to destroy it for years, Zach Nunn is waking up to the reality that his opposition to the Affordable Care Act will cost him his job next year," Smith said in a statement. "No amount of phony rhetoric or lies will change that. The DCCC will not let so-called Republican moderates like Nunn trick voters after refusing to do a single thing to address the health care crisis they created." Nunn was the only member of Iowa's all-GOP delegation to sign on to the bipartisan proposal—the three other Iowa Republicans in the U.S. House have not supported a measure to temporarily extend ACA tax credits. U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, who is also predicted to have a close race in the 2026 election season, said in a statement she supports lowering health care costs but the ACA enhanced premium tax credits are not the best way to address rising costs. Miller-Meeks, a physician, characterized the tax credits as a "corporate welfare bailout to the health insurance companies done by the Democrats in 2021" at a November town hall. "The enhanced premium tax credits subsidize profitable insurance companies, but doesn't lower premiums," Miller-Meeks said in a statement. "I will continue to work with leadership and the administration to bring down health care costs for EVERYONE, not just a select few or profitable insurance companies." Miller-Meeks and Nunn are the two incumbent candidates running for Iowa's U.S. House seats in 2026. U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson is running for the state's U.S. Senate seat and U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra is running for governor in the upcoming election. A spokesperson for Hinson said the congresswoman backs efforts to address health care inflation, but is more supportive of ideas on shifting funding to a Health Savings Accounts (HSA) model that directs money to individuals rather than health insurance companies. "Health care is too expensive, no one should go broke trying to keep their family healthy," Hinson said in a statement. "We should ensure working families—not just big health insurance companies — can directly access dollars meant for their health care needs and that no one can get away with profiting off seniors and sick Americans with sky high prescription drug costs. I will continue working on bipartisan solutions and reforms that lower premiums, improve access to care, and bring down the cost of prescription drugs." Feenstra also said in a statement he supports lowering health care premiums, but did not say if he backed any specific proposals that could come before Congress. "As a former volunteer EMT for 15 years in my hometown of Hull, I want all Iowans to have access to high-quality, affordable healthcare," Feenstra said. "The reality is that too many Iowa families, farmers, seniors, and small businesses can't afford health insurance and prescription medications. That's unacceptable. It's why I'm focused on lowering healthcare premiums, increasing access to affordable insurance, and protecting our rural hospitals. We must do everything possible to lower healthcare costs and ensure that Iowans can receive the care and treatment they need and deserve." At a gubernatorial campaign event in November, Feenstra told reporters he and other members of the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee were considering multiple proposals aimed at lowering premiums, including efforts that would "directly give money to the small business, or give directly money to the family, to lower that premium cost." Don't miss out on important updates! Subscribe to the newsletter for free and stay informed about local topics that matter most to you.