Republicans are seeking a health care plan without a clear idea of its contents.

Republican lawmakers are racing to assemble their own health care overhaul by the end of next week, when Senate Democrats are set to vote on extending soon-to-expire Obamacare subsidies. But GOP members remain divided on what their alternative should be.

In separate closed-door meetings on Tuesday, House and Senate Republicans debated possible proposals as they confront soaring insurance premiums should the enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credits lapse on Dec. 31. Speaker Mike Johnson, addressing concerns within his conference, vowed for the first time to present a GOP health care outline in the coming days. Meanwhile, Senate Republicans reviewed ideas for lowering health costs, including changes to health savings accounts.

Party leaders in both chambers face major internal disagreements including whether the subsidies should be extended at all, which would require Republicans to effectively endorse Obamacare for the first time. After Tuesdays discussions produced little progress, lawmakers acknowledged they are still far from unifying behind a plan before next weeks deadline.

Some Republicans fear the absence of a plan could become a political liability heading into the 2026 midterms, as voters could directly feel the impact of rising health care costs. Retiring Sen. Thom Tillis warned that allowing the subsidies to expire could provoke a backlash, predicting Democrats would hammer Republicans by highlighting families hit with higher premiums. Theres a lot of alignment still needed, he said.

During their weekly lunch, Senate Republicans heard updates from Finance Chair Mike Crapo and HELP Chair Bill Cassidy on a potential GOP proposal to offer alongside the Democrats measure. As part of a government funding deal, Senate Majority Leader John Thune agreed to allow Democrats a vote on an extension. Republicans discussed adding more flexibility to health savings accounts, imposing income limits on ACA subsidies, and requiring enrollees to pay a minimum share of their premiums.

Cassidy, a physician, continues to champion expanding health savings accounts as an alternative to renewing the ACA tax credits and is expected to emphasize the idea at a HELP Committee hearing on Wednesday. But Thune faces conflicting pressure over whether the subsidies should be extended or allowed to expire. Some GOP senators said they anticipate a vote on a Republican plan next week, though Thune declined to commit to a timeline. Crapo said any vote would be a collective decision by the conference.

Republicans are also waiting for Democrats to unveil their own proposal. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer indicated his caucus discussed the matter and suggested Democrats are likely to push for a clean extension, though the duration remains unclear.

Across the Capitol, Johnson pledged that House Republicans will soon release their own health care framework. Many members left Tuesdays closed-door meeting believing leadership could produce an outline by weeks end. But leadership insiders described that goal as ambitious, as internal party tensions intensify.

House GOP leaders have pushed to exclude any subsidy extension from their plan, alarming moderates concerned their reelection prospects rely on preserving the credits. During a lunch with the centrist Republican Governance Group, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise faced widespread pressure to act before years end. Numerous members urged supporting an extension.

Scalise offered no commitments, saying the conferences consensus would determine whether Republicans could back provisions like renewing the subsidies though most House Republicans oppose doing so. He noted that members outside key committees were still being brought up to speed on existing proposals and encouraged their feedback.

Despite leadership leaning toward partisan strategies, some Republicans are still pursuing a bipartisan deal. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick is working on legislation modeled on a leaked White House framework that was temporarily shelved amid conservative outrage. He said the bill does not include abortion-related restrictions in an effort to win Democratic support. Were trying to get to 218 votes, he said. Its the most serious effort on the table.