Free Republic

The 42-day federal shutdown forced by Democrats thrust the economics of Obamacare into the limelight, and exposed an uncomfortable truth: An insurance industry whose executives are increasingly liberal donors has seen its earnings soar with the injection of taxpayer-funded subsidies that propped up Barack Obama's signature health program from collapse. The nation’s largest health insurance companies have seen good business since Obamacare was first passed in 2010 and fully implemented in 2014. This has come in no small part because of federal government subsidies to the insurance industry, which government estimates show totaled $1.8 trillion in 2023 alone. Those subsidies...

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) would not commit Monday when CNN’s Jake Tapper pressed him on bringing a vote to the floor to address health care affordability before the ACA tax subsidies expire. The eight Senate Democrats who voted in favor of the continuing resolution Sunday night to help reopen the government did so with the belief that Republicans would begin healthcare talks. Under President Donald Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill Act, tax subsidies are set to expire at the end of the year and cause premiums to skyrocket. “The problem is when you’re subsidizing insurance companies, they just jack the...

Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) is pushing back on the idea that the Affordable Care Act (ACA), known as Obamacare, has made health insurance costs more affordable, saying, “Obamacare makes everyone else poor.”Lee shared a graphic, first posted by President Trump on Truth social, showing how major health insurance company stocks have performed since the ACA was enacted in 2010 to November 2025.The seven major health insurance companies depicted on the graph show gains of anywhere from 414% to 1177% in their stock prices between March 2010 and November 2025.Health insurance companies are making money hand over fist—not because they’ve discovered...

It’s been over 15 years since Democrats passed Obamacare under the promise that it would make healthcare affordable. Americans were supposed to save money, keep their doctors, and finally get a system that worked for them instead of the big insurance companies. Today, those promises look like a sick joke. A recent post shared by our sister site Twitchy highlights how the Obamacare boondoggle really works, and why it doesn’t actually work for the people. Instead, it was built to enrich the healthcare industry, and the numbers prove it. Let me give you a rundown of how it works, if...

U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-NY, walked off the Senate floor when being questioned about reopening the federal government during the longest shutdown in history. Schumer admitted to Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-OH, that he didn’t have a written proposal to fix the Affordable Care Act. “We can’t give you a counter in writing, but it’s very simple," Schumer said. "Because we have two sentences we would add to any proposal which would extend the ACA benefits for one year. Moreno exposed that the Affordable Care Act imposed no income caps, meaning people who make millions of dollars a year...

With the government shutdown rolling on without an end in sight and the Obamacare subsidies running out, President Donald Trump is sizing up a long-running battle against the failures of the Affordable Care Act. "OBAMACARE 'SUCKS," Trump wrote on Truth Social on Sunday morning. "THE WORST HEALTHCARE FOR THE HIGHEST PRICE." On Saturday, Trump floated a compromise amid the impasse on the shutdown, urging Republicans to redirect federal money that goes to health insurance companies under the Affordable Care Act and send it directly to individuals. "PAY THE PEOPLE, NOT THE INSURANCE COMPANIES!" Trump wrote in a message that could...

Researchers at Case Western Reserve University say their discovery of new inflammatory molecules could transform medical treatment. For many years, scientists believed they had a solid grasp of the biological processes behind asthma, a condition marked by lung inflammation that narrows airways and makes breathing difficult. They pointed to molecules known as “leukotrienes,” which are released by white blood cells in response to airway irritation or allergens, as the primary cause. These molecules trigger a chain reaction that tightens airways, and several drugs have been designed to block this process. However, a research team at Case Western Reserve University suggests...

The oral health program of Santa Cruz County’s public health division is collaborating with Dientes Community Dental to publicize upcoming changes to dental benefits that will affect undocumented immigrants. Beginning Jan. 1, there will be an enrollment freeze, and adults will not be able to apply for full, non-emergency Medi-Cal benefits without proper immigration documentation.

Scientists have discovered that human stomach cells can be genetically reprogrammed to act like pancreatic beta cells and produce insulin. This approach could one day help people with Type 1 diabetes generate their own insulin without injections. Understanding Type 1 Diabetes and Its Challenges Type 1 diabetes develops when the pancreas fails to produce enough insulin, a hormone made by specialized beta cells. This chronic condition affects an estimated 9.5 million people around the world. Without sufficient insulin, blood sugar levels remain high and, over time, can cause serious harm to vital organs including the kidneys, eyes, and heart. Managing...

By punting the issue into 2025, Democrats hoped they could secure a permanent extension of Obamacare subsidies. That plan backfired.In response to the government shutdown hitting the one-month mark, an unnamed adviser to Donald Trump said that the president has “had it with these people [i.e., congressional Democrats], because he knows they’re playing politics.” He’s right — but the administration hasn’t articulated the half of it.Democrats have shut down the government due to their demands that Republicans extend enhanced Obamacare subsidies set to expire on Dec. 31. Such a demand would give a bailout to insurance companies totaling $350 billion...

Next week my firm will hold its annual health insurance information meeting. The news won’t be good. Premiums are expected to increase 10-15% after increasing a similar amount last year. If only my 401(k) could grow like that! The bottom line is that my paycheck will become smaller and my health care costs will become larger. My wife and I have also spent most of this year scurrying through the endless maze of our byzantine and befuddling health care system. Our journey began when my wife’s father had a stroke in April… Over the past seven months we have had...

Voters who are 65 or older are especially passionate about health care – nearly all say access to quality, affordable health care is important to their vote (97%). Nine in 10 voters ages 50 to 64 say the same (90%). Eighty-three percent of voters 50 to 64 and 92% of likely voters 65 and older say a candidate’s stance on improving the response plan for natural disasters is important to their vote. The state’s youngest and oldest voters consider a candidate’s position on housing affordability more important to their vote than those in between. Ninety-two percent of voters ages 18...

"When I talk about weak Republican men, I am pretty much talking oftentimes about the leadership in the House and Senate, and they are just not getting our agenda done," she said. In recent weeks, Greene has pushed for her own party to share an alternative plan to replace the current Affordable Care Act, specifically calling out House Speaker Mike Johnson. "Republicans never fixed it … And then the ACA tax credits were passed in 2021 … and Republicans never made a plan for that," Greene said. She criticized Johnson for keeping the House in recess, saying, "We should be...

The White House will launch a website on Monday night exposing criminal illegal aliens, including murderers, rapists, and burglars, who have received taxpayer-funded Medicaid benefits, Breitbart News has learned. The website features mugshots and photos of dozens of illegal aliens convicted of brutal crimes, undercutting Democrat claims that illegal aliens have not received healthcare benefits. The top of the page chronicles the Trump administration’s efforts to crack down on illegal aliens convicted of crimes who have received Medicaid benefits, as well as Democrats’ efforts to restore Medicaid benefits to illegal aliens and noncitizens:

While the shutdown is needless, the Democrats are right to be concerned about healthcare cost coverage. MEDICAID EXPANSION FAIRNESS What I’m thinking of is to slightly and generally increase the state Medicaid expansion share to 5% plus the highest rate of state income tax. That would make Medicaid expansion cheaper for no income tax red states like Florida and Texas, and fairer. Right now, California pays for Medicaid expansion at 10% and rakes in 13% income tax from doctors. To help finance likely Medicaid expansion to states like Texas and Florida, the state Medicaid shares (traditional & expansion) would increase...

David Delfiner and Lisa Parsons received a shocking letter from their health insurance provider when they checked their mail last week. Their monthly health insurance cost will increase from $350 a month this year to $2,221 starting in 2026

Stacy Cox used one word repeatedly as she described how she felt after learning her ACA premium could jump over 300% without the enhanced tax credits: "devastating." "I don't know if I've ever cried opening a letter from an insurance or before, but it happened this time," she told ABC News. Cox's premium this year has been $495.32 for coverage for her and her husband. Without the credit in 2026, she was informed that it's increasing to $2,168.68. "It's devastating because we can't afford that," she said. "Just that bill right there, that's more than our mortgage, our insurance, most...

Democrats, especially Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders, continually advocate for single-payer (taxpayer-funded) health care, proclaiming that health care is a human right. No one wants to see people suffer from untreated ailments, and it's indisputable that health care costs are skyrocketing. But conservatives argue that relief lies in free-market principles prioritizing innovation, choice, and efficiency. In contrast, proponents of socialized medicine -- often cloaked as "Medicare for All" -- insist it will deliver affordable, universal coverage. History and data paint a far grimmer picture: ballooning costs, endless wait times, rationed care, and needless suffering.Our own Medicaid program and failed experiments...

California Governor Gavin Newsom is giving Planned Parenthood another $140 million in taxpayer money, to show support for the abortion corporation and keep its doors open. But even this amount of money may not guarantee that. Key Takeaways: * Gov. Gavin Newsom announced he will funnel another $140 million in taxpayer funding to Planned Parenthood. * The promise of further financial support is in response to the Congressional defunding of abortion providers that qualify as "prohibited entities" of federal Medicaid dollars for one year. * Planned Parenthood is asking supporters for more donations as it announces more facility closures; however,...

Alice Walton, heir to the Walmart fortune and the world's wealthiest woman, is on a mission to reimagine medical education with an innovative new school in Arkansas that is welcoming its inaugural class tuition-free. The facility is equipped with state-of-the-art technology but the unique curriculum also embraces healing through the arts and humanity.