Republicans Promise a Health Care Plan—But Still Won’t Say What It Is

Facing backlash for a government shutdown over health care funding, Republican leaders are again promising to make health insurance more affordable—without revealing how.

House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune said this week that they, along with former President Donald Trump, are preparing new ideas to replace or “fix” the Affordable Care Act (ACA). But when pressed for details, none offered a concrete plan.

Johnson told C-SPAN viewers that “Republicans are working on this around the clock” and claimed to have a “90-minute slideshow” outlining ideas, while Thune said Trump wants “higher-quality and more affordable” insurance. Neither specified what those ideas are or how they would work.

Critics note that Republicans have been making similar promises for more than a decade—most notably during Trump’s first term, when the GOP-controlled Congress failed to pass a replacement for the ACA in 2017. That proposal would have stripped coverage from millions and raised costs for people with preexisting conditions.

Democrats say the latest claims are more of the same. “Republicans have never had a health care plan—all they do is cut Medicaid, raise prices, and kick people off coverage,” Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) said.

Polls continue to show voters trust Democrats more on health care policy, and the ACA remains broadly popular. With expanded subsidies set to expire soon—and premiums expected to rise sharply if Congress fails to act—health care could again be a defining issue in the 2026 midterms.