The date Democrats have had circled on the calendar for weeks is about to hit: Open enrollment for Obamacare health insurance plans opens Saturday.
That means many Americans looking to buy health coverage will see premium prices rise. Democrats are gambling that sticker shock will push Republicans to the negotiating table on Obamacare enhanced premium tax credits, their key demand in the government shutdown fight. And they’re confident health care costs and affordability are the right political focal point for the moment.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) said her office is getting calls and texts from people saying they’ll need to choose between buying health care or rent. “The Republicans are actively breaking what’s left of our health care system,” Warren said.
This all comes right before closely-watched governor elections Tuesday in Virginia and New Jersey. Rep. Richard Neal (D-Mass.) pointed to those results, along with rising premiums and inflation, converging all at once.
“If there’s a trend line that’s clear, I think that puts additional pressure on Republicans to come back to Washington and actually begin to negotiate and discuss these challenges,” Neal said.
GOP not blinking. Republicans are turning the Nov. 1 spotlight back on Democrats. SNAP, which provides critical food aid for more than 40 million Americans, is set to run dry Saturday. Multiple GOP lawmakers said that’s going to be the bigger crisis than Obamacre premiums.
“I think they miscalculated,” Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) said of Democrats. “The real moment is going to be when people check… their EBT accounts and do not see it in there because [Democrats] refuse to do baseline funding.”
Democrats have been pressing the Trump administration to use $5 billion in contingency funds to cover food aid. Republicans say they can’t legally tap that money and need Democrats to back their CR. The Trump administration has shuffled other funding to address the shutdown’s impacts — despite questions over the legality of the moves — including for military pay.
The rising health care costs could still be a lasting political problem for the GOP heading into 2026. Republicans are bringing up alternative health care options, a sign they’re feeling some pressure.
When we asked GOP Rep. Nick LaLota (N.Y.) about the political situation, the New Yorker said people back home know he’s for a solution. LaLota signed onto a bipartisan bill for a one-year extension of the subsidies.
“I’m eager to find a solution there on credits that… Democrats called when they passed them temporary and pandemic-related,” LaLota said.
