By Matt Underwood Obamacare premiums are skyrocketing. Republicans can’t figure out what to do, or at least that’s the narrative. But let’s be real here; the situation is a bit more complex than just a simple lack of ideas. The rise in prices for health insurance, and specifically those plans offered under the Affordable Care Act, is a hot button issue, and the political implications are enormous. Let’s delve into what’s happening and what, if anything, Republicans are actually planning.
“Obamacare” isn’t actually a thing, it’s just shorthand for the Affordable Care Act, a complex piece of legislation. It’s got a lot of moving parts, including subsidies, regulations, and expansions of programs like Medicaid and Medicare. While the intention was to make healthcare more accessible, it’s also become a political football. The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, actually developed a Republican health care plan, which Governor Mitt Romney implemented in Massachusetts. This is important context, because the narrative we often see is that Republicans have no plan, but that’s not quite accurate.
What’s interesting is that it seems like the Republicans might have had a plan, which was possibly to extend subsidies through the midterm elections and then cut them right after. This would leave Democrats holding the bag. It’s a cynical move, but it would have given them a campaign talking point. However, the lack of money after tax cuts for billionaires and massive spending on areas like border security and international aid might have undermined this plan. Republicans could have negotiated to extend the subsidies, but that would have meant actually working with Democrats, which seems to be a non-starter.
The impacts of rising health insurance costs are hitting everyone. We are seeing real-world consequences, from people taking pay cuts due to rising insurance costs, to small businesses struggling to provide affordable coverage. It’s not just the ACA; all insurance premiums are going up. This affects small businesses and individuals alike.
It’s been over fifteen years since Republicans started criticizing the ACA, and yet there doesn’t seem to be a viable alternative. Instead, we see something of a slow-motion demolition project, sometimes called “death by a thousand cuts.” The elimination of the individual mandate, which required people to have health insurance or face a penalty, is a prime example. Removing the penalty meant that healthy people were less likely to sign up for insurance, which increases the average risk pool and drives up costs for everyone.
The narrative that Republicans “can’t figure out what to do” is maybe a little disingenuous. The reality is perhaps that they don’t *want* to do anything that would improve the ACA. The goal seems to be to sabotage the law, creating a situation where getting rid of it becomes politically palatable. There is an idea that it is all part of a larger plan to benefit insurance companies and wealthy donors.
The implication is clear: Make it unaffordable, create outrage, and then try to dismantle it. The plan isn’t about solving the problem, but about exploiting it. It’s also interesting to note that the two things that could have made the ACA more successful, the individual mandate and a public option, were both prevented by Republicans. This seems to suggest that they want to dismantle healthcare access for the less fortunate.
It’s difficult to avoid the feeling that the goal is not to improve the system, but to dismantle any government involvement in healthcare, even if it means harming a large segment of the population. The Republicans have had a long time to come up with a replacement. They have never had a plan, which is what is going to make it a difficult situation. The problem is that the focus on “Obamacare premiums” conveniently ignores the broader issue of rising healthcare costs, regardless of the insurance plan.