That screaming you hear is America falling off the Obamacare cliff

News and views for Floridians and other thoughtful Americans

Remember that Obamacare cliff we were so concerned about way back in 2025?

Well, it’s now 2026, and we’ve fallen off.

• What’s that mean? The premiums for millions of Americans purchasing health insurance through the Affordable Care Act marketplace will rise, with some estimates predicting an average increase of more than 100 percent. Millions more will likely drop their health insurance altogether because it is unaffordable.

• Why is this happening? Congress failed to pass legislation to extend the Obamacare enhanced tax credits before they lapsed on Dec. 31. You will recall that this was the major sticking point in ending the recent government shutdown. Democrats wanted the benefits extended; Republicans did not. To end the shutdown, Republicans promised to address the issue before the end of the year.

• What happens now? Congress reconvenes next week, and this will be one of the first items to be addressed in the House of Representatives.

• What’s the outlook for a resolution? This from Punchbowl News, which has published one of the better summaries of the situation I’ve read:

A vote on a three-year clean extension of the ACA subsidies will almost certainly pass in the House, although the odds of getting it through the Senate intact are questionable, where bipartisan Obamacare talks continued throughout the holiday break.

Sens. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) propose to extend the ACA subsidies for two years with income caps and anti-fraud reforms. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has been downplaying the possibility of a bipartisan agreement. Schumer said Wednesday that Republicans “had multiple chances” to cut an Obamacare deal before the subsidies expired.

There are really three camps in the House Republican Conference at the moment. The first represents the majority point of view: that the GOP can’t ever win a health-care fight with Democrats, so they should do nothing about the expired subsidies.

Another group, best represented by Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), thinks it’s time for Republicans to aim for a major health care overhaul.

The third faction is made up of moderate Republicans, who think it’s a political and policy disaster that the GOP has allowed the subsidies to expire.

And while these political games are being played, ordinary Americans are suffering.

And it is all so pointless. This is not quantum physics. We already have national health care systems—Medicaid and Medicare. They work.

Virtually every civilized country in the world has already addressed this issue successfully. That America is the last major nation to figure this out is an indictment of how dysfunctional our federal government has become.

Yes, we all know Obamacare is imperfect. We hear that all the time from the G.O.P. But in the last 15 years since its enactment, Republicans have failed to provide a better alternative.

Well, it’s right in front of our noses as we plunge off the cliff.

It’s called Medicare for all.

J.C. Bruce is the founder of Tropic Press, a journalist, and award-winning author. He holds dual citizenship in the United States of America and his native Florida.

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