Posted on 10/02/2025 11:34:17 AM PDT by DFG
The healthcare “cuts” Democrats are using as an excuse to shut down the government are actually the phase-out of temporary pandemic-era Obamacare credits. Contrary to their current talking points, the phase-out of these credits was included in the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, which passed without a single Republican vote. This legislation, which significantly increased federal spending on temporary pandemic-related healthcare programs, extended subsidies for insurance policies purchased through the Obamacare exchanges only through 2025.
The Biden administration’s emergency pandemic subsidies should be allowed to expire as intended. This would enable individual and small group plans to regain fiscal stability by returning to premium-supported plans with verified, qualified enrollees. Since the pandemic, the growth of these plans has relied heavily on improper taxpayer subsidies and “phantom policies.”
When the Inflation Reduction Act passed in 2022, every Democrat in Congress voted for these subsidies to expire in 2025. It is surprising, then, that they are now shutting down the government to protest the very law they supported. Many Democrats attribute this sunset to the President’s One Big Beautiful Bill (O3B). In reality, O3B includes anti-fraud and anti-waste provisions essential for balancing Minnesota’s budget as well as the Fed’s. The eligibility checks mandated by O3B are necessary to curb billions in improper payments—a fact admitted by members of Congress who voted for the government shutdown.
The first priority for Minnesota’s 2026 legislature should be to pass a federal conformity bill aligning with O3B. Without it, Minnesota will continue to lag, wasting money on coverage for dead people, out-of-state residents, or those already enrolled in other policies. According to the American Experiment, at the peak of the emergency Medicaid expansion during the pandemic, 18.5% of enrollees were unaware they were covered by a Medicaid policy, with nearly all also enrolled in another public or private plan. Similarly, the Paragon Institute recently reported that in 2025, an estimated 6.4 million improper enrollees will be on the Obamacare exchanges. CMS data from 2024 showed nearly 12 million enrollees—35% of the total—had zero claims. It is implausible that over one-third of enrollees never sought medical care in a year. These “phantom policies” persist due to a lack of proper removal processes.
Minnesota must stop blaming President Donald Trump and take responsibility. The state is becoming a leader in fraud, paying for coverage for individuals who are dead, live out of state, or are already insured elsewhere. Since Obamacare’s implementation, costs have skyrocketed, with taxpayers bearing an increasing burden. The Biden COVID Credits exacerbated this issue, crowding out private financing and causing small employers to drop coverage. Moreover, Minnesota’s market is also burdened by spending to meet excessive mandates and coverage for groups like illegal immigrants on top of the rapidly expanding numbers within Medicaid, MNCare and the premium-supported exchanges.
Last year’s rate review data show that since 2015, premiums in the ACA individual and small group markets have risen 92% nationally. In many states, particularly rural ones, premiums are approaching $1,000 per member per month. Between 2015 and 2023, benefit costs have outpaced inflation in most service categories, though prescription drug costs have risen more slowly than outpatient hospital services, other medical services, and capitation within ACA markets.
Florida accounts for 19% of the nationwide individual market but only 4% of the small group market. This disparity may stem from Florida’s status as a non-Medicaid expansion state, where many marketplace enrollees qualify for cost-sharing reduction subsidies, drawing individuals to the ACA individual market. In Minnesota, 2024 data show 186,082 members in the individual market and 204,806 in the small group market. The relatively small size of the individual market compared to the small group market suggests that many individuals who might qualify for subsidized ACA plans are instead enrolled in Medicaid or MinnesotaCare.
This trend is amplified in Minnesota, where policies have consistently shifted people from premium-supported markets to government-financed ones. The American Experiment is currently developing policies to strengthen Minnesota’s private health insurance market.
Bkmk
Pathological Liars ,LOL
There are all kinds of instances of demonicRAT using Covid funds to buy themselves houses and boats and lavish vacations and every other manner of luxury.
Bkmk
With USAID shut down, the cash cow fraud must continue.
Everyone of them wore matching culturally appropriated scarf costumes as they kneeled. Now they are outraged by a sombrero costume.
We have got to realize how fake and weak they are and crush them. Make them beg to end the shutdown.
DEMS ONLY KNOW HOW TO BE INCONSISTENT
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