Trump tells Democrats to ‘do something’ ahead of ObamaCare premiums spike
President Trump late Thursday once again slammed ObamaCare, demanding that Democrats "do something" ahead of an imminent spike in Affordable Care Act (ACA) premiums amid the federal funding impasse.
“As I have said for years, OBAMACARE IS A DISASTER! Rates are going through the roof for really bad healthcare!!! Do something Democrats!!!” the president wrote in a Truth Social post.
His comment comes as the government shutdown nears the one-month mark. Senate Democrats have refused to pass a stopgap bill unless their Republican counterparts agree to extend ACA subsidies that will expire at the end of the year.
Open enrollment begins on Nov. 1 and if the subsidies are not extended, experts expect health care costs to skyrocket.
Americans 60 years and older with an income of $65,000 could pay $920 more a month in 2026, according to estimates from the health research nonprofit KFF analyzed by The New York Times. That means monthly premiums for that group could cost $1,380 if the tax credits expire.
GOP lawmakers have attempted to repeal ObamaCare since its passage in 2010 — most recently in 2017. Now, Republicans are saying they will agree to extend the subsidies at the center of Democrats' demands with “reforms.”
“The expiring ObamaCare subsidy at the end of the year is a serious problem. If you look at it objectively, you know that it is subsidizing bad policy. We’re throwing good money at a bad, broken system, and so it needs real reforms,” Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said at a Monday press conference.
Two weeks ago, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said a vote on ACA subsidy extensions was guaranteed if Senate Democrats would agree to fund the government, but House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) argued that his counterparts “can’t be trusted on a wing and a prayer.”
“We need a real path forward to address the crisis that Republicans have visited upon the American people in terms of health care, the cost of living and affordability…,” he added in an Oct. 16 appearance on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” “They’ve [Republicans] enacted the largest cuts to Medicaid in American history, hospitals, nursing homes, community based health centers are closing because of Republican policies all across the country.”