If Democrats wanted the enhanced subsidies to be in place indefinitely, they should have enacted a law to that effect when they were in power. Should Republicans cave to their demands, they will be handing the opposition an unearned victory and saddling taxpayers with billions in new costs.
As the government shutdown stretches into its third week, Republicans have signaled some willingness to agree to Democrats’ demand to extend billions of dollars in enhanced premium subsidies for exchange plans beyond their scheduled expiration at the end of this year.
That would be a mistake. The enhanced insurance subsidies were always intended as a short-term fix to the surge in premiums that Obamacare — a law Democrats enacted on an entirely partisan basis — created.
The GOP must not give in to Democrats’ demand that they bail out Obamacare.
Nothing contained in this blog is to be construed as necessarily reflecting the views of the Pacific Research Institute or as an attempt to thwart or aid the passage of any legislation.
Republicans shouldn’t cave to Democrats’ shutdown demands
Sally C. Pipes
If Democrats wanted the enhanced subsidies to be in place indefinitely, they should have enacted a law to that effect when they were in power. Should Republicans cave to their demands, they will be handing the opposition an unearned victory and saddling taxpayers with billions in new costs.
As the government shutdown stretches into its third week, Republicans have signaled some willingness to agree to Democrats’ demand to extend billions of dollars in enhanced premium subsidies for exchange plans beyond their scheduled expiration at the end of this year.
That would be a mistake. The enhanced insurance subsidies were always intended as a short-term fix to the surge in premiums that Obamacare — a law Democrats enacted on an entirely partisan basis — created.
The GOP must not give in to Democrats’ demand that they bail out Obamacare.
Read the op-ed here.
Nothing contained in this blog is to be construed as necessarily reflecting the views of the Pacific Research Institute or as an attempt to thwart or aid the passage of any legislation.