It’s time for a history lesson. Let’s turn back the clocks to March of 2021 when Democrats passed the American Rescue Sham – a $1.9 trillion calamity. Temporary “COVID credits” or Enhanced Premium Tax Credits (ePTCs) were folded into this legislation so that existing subsidies under Obamacare would be extended and increased. Fast forward to 2022 when Democrats rammed through the Inflation Expansion Act – they extended the same temporary credits and stamped an expiration date of December 2025 on them. They set a defined end point to them because they knew that these temporary credits were supposed to be related to COVID. As I have shared with you previously, these temporary credits became one big, fraud-ridden boondoggle. To reiterate, these temporary credits allowed individuals who earn upwards of $600,000 PER YEAR to receive taxpayer-funded, subsidized health care coverage paid through the federal government.

Democrats created these temporary credits, set an expiration date on them, but now they’ve shut down the government because they want them extended even though the PANDEMIC IS OVER. This underscores an even deeper problem: the health care policies of Democrats do more harm than good. Just look at Obamacare – it’s an outright disaster. Higher prices, fewer choices, and more fraud. Since 2014, benchmark premiums for Obamacare marketplace plans have increased by a staggering 80%. Next year, premiums for these plans are set to jump by an additional 20% - but less than four percent of next year’s expected increase is attributable to the expiration of these temporary credits. Even the Washington Post recently admitted that Obamacare was, “…never actually affordable.” 

But Democrats are claiming that Americans will lose health care coverage if these temporary credits expire. Wrong. The Ways and Means Committee recently highlighted several important analyses that prove the Democrat claims to be false:

• A Paragon Health Institute analysis estimates that 6.4 million individuals are improperly enrolled in Obamacare – that’s 2.6 million more than the total coverage losses Democrats claim will occur due to “Biden Covid Credit” expiration.
• An analysis by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) found that 2.8 million people are dually enrolled in either a subsidized Obamacare plan and a Medicaid plan, or multiple state Medicaid programs. This resulted in excess costs to federal taxpayers of $14 billion annually in 2024.
• CMS also found that 12 million enrollees never filed a medical claim in 2024 (up from 3.5 million enrollees in 2021) – raising questions about how many enrollees even know they are enrolled in Obamacare plans because “Biden Covid Credits” require zero skin in the game for enrollees.
• In recent analysis, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) acknowledged that as many as 2.3 million individuals are improperly enrolled in subsidized Obamacare plans in 2025, echoing other research.

A recent survey from the Bureau of Labor Statistics found that workers with access to medical benefits through their employer increased by three percent since 2019 – from 71% to 74%. There’s no reason whatsoever to corral more Americans into government-run health care and away from affordable options found in employer-sponsored health care. Premiums would still be astronomical, taxpayers would dole out more money that would be funneled to insurance companies, and things would get far worse. It’s an illogical thing to do.

As Speaker Johnson said recently, “When you subsidize the health care system and you pay insurance companies more, the prices increase.” Contributing to this growing, bureaucratic problem will do nothing except hurt the American people. Discussions and debate on health care reforms can take place after the Democrats grow and spine and reopen the government – now is not the time. 

 Have a blessed weekend,