A clean extension of enhanced tax credits for Affordable Care Act plans is looking increasingly unlikely after a Senate Finance Committee hearing on Wednesday in which Republicans were almost totally united in opposition.

“Both sides agree that the cost of healthcare is too high. But sending billions of dollars to insurance companies while premiums continue to rise and the deficit continues to grow is not the only solution,” Chairman Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, said.

Democrats have been urging their Republican counterparts to consider a one-year extension to help Americans avoid looming sticker shock. Premiums will skyrocket for ACA plans next year if the enhanced subsidies are allowed to expire, causing an estimated 4 million Americans to become uninsured.

After it sidesteps the current cr

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