WASHINGTON (TNND) — Senate Republicans blasted a Democratic plan that would have extended Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies for one year as part of a government reopening agreement during the ongoing shutdown.
Sen. Lindsey Graham criticized the proposal, saying ACA, also known as Obamacare, increased the cost of healthcare for hard working taxpayers while benefiting insurance companies.
You’re asking me and others to continue a program that is fundamentally broken, that’s inflationary,” he told Democrats on Friday. “And the only winner of Obamacare are the largest healthcare companies in America who are making excessive profits off a healthcare system you designed. And all you want is more people signed up on this program and you’re rewarding insurance companies for finding more people who are making a fortune and the delivery of healthcare is costing more and the quality is going down. We’re not going to do this. We’re not going to give into this.”
As Graham spoke, he stood next to a bar chart titled “Major Health Insurance Company Stock Performance After Obamacare.” He said it revealed that multiple companies — including UnitedHealth Group, Cigna, Molina, and others — saw massive increases in their stock prices since 2010, marking the same year Obamacare was enacted.
The chart, which President Donald Trump shared on Truth Social, attributes the gains to the period following the implementation of Obamacare. The implication is that major health insurers benefited significantly in the years following ACA reforms, which expanded insurance coverage and government contracts for managed care.
“Democrats are demanding we continue to throw money at a broken health care system that enriches insurance companies at the expense of American consumers,” Graham said. “We refuse to be held hostage.”
Sen. Katie Boyd Britt, who is a fellow Republican, shared similar sentiments.
Democrats created Obamacare, extended the subsidies TWICE, and set the expiration dates,” she wrote on X.Now they’re holding taxpayers hostage over their disastrous policies and, once again, FAILING to deliver for the American people,” she added.
The plan, which was offered by Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, was a much narrowed version of a broad proposal Democrats laid out a month ago to make the health tax credits permanent and reverse Medicaid cuts that Republicans enacted earlier this year.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he thinks the offer is an indication that Democrats are “feeling the heat.”
“I guess you could characterize that as progress,” he said. “But I just don’t think it gets anywhere close to what we need to do here.”
The shutdown entered Day 39 on Saturday, with many federal workers going unpaid. Airlines have been forced to cancel flights and SNAP benefits have been delayed for millions of Americans.
________________
EDITOR’S NOTE: The Associated Press contributed to this report.