Costly Care
To The Editor:
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) was supposed to reduce everybody’s health care costs. It didn’t. Democrats said they needed subsidies and agreed to put limits on them. The Biden Administration enhanced those subsidies.
A headline in The Daily Signal on October 7, reads “Americans Want COVID-19-Era Policies to Sunset, Poll Finds”, by George Caldwell, the fourth paragraph of the article reports: “On Message Public Strategies, a political strategy firm, conducted a poll that showed that 60.5% of Americans agree “the federal government should allow programs that were designed deliberately to address the problems created by the COVID-19 pandemic to sunset, and put those funds to more pressing issues facingAmericans.”
The Democratic Party has shut down the government and is holding it hostage claiming they are fighting for healthcare and demanding the Biden enhancements be extended. The insurance companies have made billions of dollars off the enhancements. Brian Blasé and Niklas Kleinworth with Paragon Health Institute inArlington,VA., reportedintheWallStreetJournal “Obamacare isn’t a healthy insurance market. The zero-dollar premiums created by the Biden administration policy exacerbated structural problems in the ACA. For everyday Americans, the result is worse coverage and tens of billions in higher taxed annually.”
When informed that “extending the federal health insurance subsidies will cost taxpayers $400 billion over the next 10 years,” a 50.6% majority of respondents say they are “less likely to support” extending “federal subsidies for health insurance companies.”
The Democrats are insisting on “restoring some $500 billion in funding for Obamacare premiums that were enacted as “temporary” during the COVID-19 pandemic.” By refusing to negotiate with the Republicans to even return to the pre-Biden enhancements they are refusing to improve healthcare costs and access for the American people. Like it or not, reform requires negotiation and the Democrats persistent stonewalling benefits no one. Obamacare has been described as “the Democrats social albatross since its inception.” Schumer and his cadre admit using American’s suffering as “leverage”.This is political theatre. They have voted at least 13 times to block reopening the government.
According to recent analysis in Sentinel Call Notes by healthcare policy expert Nina Schaefer, the Democrats are demanding the following government funding:
• “Make illegal aliens eligible for Medicaid and Medicare by repealing OBBBA (One Big Beautiful BillAct signed into law July 4, 2025) provisions that limited access to U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, and a few other legal entrants.
• Encourage states to pay for illegal aliens’emergency services with taxpayer dollars under Medicaid by restoring a 90% federal match rate.
• Make illegal aliens eligible for Obamacare premium subsidies by erasing OBBBA’s citizenship verification requirements.
• Divert resources from the most in-need Medicaid populations by repealing OBBBA’s common-sense work requirements that ensure Medicaid serves those who truly need it and helps lift people out of poverty.
These are the provisions Senate Democrats are willing to keep the government shut down to restore.”
Do these Democrats represent you?
Cindy Rodibaugh Flatonia