Some Republicans want to fund ObamaCare -- for now

If the subsidies end, some insurers will likely try to pull out of Obamacare immediately. But just the uncertainty over the payments’ future is a main reason why some carriers have already decided to exit the Obamacare market for 2018 and others have filed for big premium increases. Without the payments, Republicans could be blamed for a mass exodus of insurers from the Obamacare marketplace next year, potentially leaving many of their constituents without any options.

So Republicans, having put in the effort to fight Obamacare, now ironically say its time for Congress to step in and spend the money. Some Republicans say they are talking behind closed doors and publicly about how they can pass something in the short-term to stabilize the market.

“I’ve stated in the meetings and publicly, I’d be in support of doing something very quickly, short term to stabilize the insurance markets for 2018,” said Sen. Ron Johnson, a Republican from Wisconsin. “This process dragged on longer than I would have liked it and in fairness to the insurance companies and even more importantly the American people, they need some certainty in terms of what’s going to happen in 2018.”