After weeks of Republicans and Democrats playing chicken over the government shutdown, Democrats finally caved under pressure.
They also abandoned a key piece of the strategy they had all along, leaving many on the Left so upset that they’re calling for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to step aside.
“To secure the agreement,” explain the editors at National Review, “Democrats abandoned a demand that was central to the shutdown, which was that Republicans expand Obamacare. Instead, the agreement would do no more than promise a vote on extending the Covid-era subsidies for purchasing insurance on Obamacare’s exchanges that are set to expire at the end of the year.”
Republicans are slapping themselves on the back and celebrating what amounts to a significant but short-term political victory. Parts of the government are now funded through next September, while most things are only funded through the end of January. That means we might be heading into another shutdown right after the holidays.
Democrats are right to claim healthcare is exorbitantly expensive for millions of Americans, but ObamaCare isn’t the solution. It’s the cause.
Matt Margolis writes at PJ Media, “Every year, the federal government quietly funnels around $40 billion straight to insurance companies through cost-sharing reduction subsidies. These payments get sent automatically. There’s no congressional vote, no annual debate, no accountability. The money just flows. Meanwhile, everyday Americans still face insane deductibles and co-pays high enough to make anyone think twice before setting foot in a doctor’s office. The supposed ‘affordability’ is an illusion built on taxpayer-funded handouts that prop up corporate profits.”
“Nonprofit hospitals, the ones constantly waving the banner of community service, aren’t exactly hurting, either,” adds Margolis. “They rake in more than $125 billion every year in tax breaks because of their ‘nonprofit’ status. That means they skip out on property, income, and sales taxes, while still cashing in from every direction. Medicare alone overpays them by another $28 billion each year, and hospitals charge anywhere from 60–80% more than independent doctors for the exact same procedures.”
That’s why funding ObamaCare isn’t helping to lower healthcare costs for people who need it most. The problem is that neither side has a real plan. Democrats want more spending, while Republicans have no solution other than kicking the can down the road.
Back in 2010, Republicans fought hard to stop Democrats from realizing their dream of government-run healthcare, but it passed anyway without any GOP votes. Then, in 2017, Republicans thought they had enough support to repeal ObamaCare until Senator John McCain cast the tie-breaking vote to save it, handing Democrats a political victory. Since then, Republicans have pledged to dismantle ObamaCare only to see their efforts fizzle out every time.
That’s why this dog-and-pony show about the government shutdown and healthcare is insulting to the American people. It’s one thing for Democrats to prey on the sentiments of people who need healthcare by creating yet another expensive and bureaucratic government program that doesn’t work, but it’s another for Republicans to pretend they’re going to do anything about it.
Hot Air’s David Strom makes a prediction: “Republicans will vote to extend most of the subsidies they have been refusing to vote for during the shutdown. It would be political suicide not to do so. What Republicans won’t do is put forward a permanent fix to a broken system, because too many people’s oxen would be gored.”
Strom adds, “Unraveling Obamacare and all the previous ‘fixes’ that destroyed our healthcare and insurance markets looks to be far too complicated and far too painful for people and institutions that benefit greatly from the system as it exists. Too many doctors, hospital systems, health insurers, and pharmacy benefit managers are profiting from the current system. Many people are enjoying access to luxury services that insurers are required to provide, which they would never choose to purchase on their own. Nobody has to shop for the best quality and prices, and nobody is forced to make tough choices about costs and benefits.”
Maybe President Donald Trump and the Republicans in Congress should take this opportunity to not merely keep Democrats from expanding funding for ObamaCare, but to take the issue out of their hands entirely for the good of the healthcare system and the American people.
“Now that Obamacare is with us, the law cannot be reversed without a credible proposal for what should take its place,” note James C. Capretta and Robert E. Moffit at National Affairs. “What any effective solution must involve, however, is the creation of a true market in health coverage — one that drives efficiency through competition, and places health-care decisions in the hands of consumers and taxpayers, where they belong.”
The government shutdown is over, but neither party has the political courage to deal with serious issues that affect everyone, including ObamaCare. Republicans should enjoy their moment — they finally won a shutdown battle. Now, with the midterms on the horizon, it’s time to get serious and start finding real solutions to problems besetting the American people.
