Politicians have failed to tackle health care affordability. It’s now voters’ rallying cry — SkimNews
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- KFF, Pew Research Center and CNN all report Americans fixated on health-care costs even as gas and grocery prices rise; an Axios-Ipsos poll finds a majority want government intervention, with Medicare for All reentering broader political discourse as the most popular option.
- Families USA found 74% of voters called lowering health-care costs “very important” for Congress and the president; including those rating it at least somewhat or fairly important raises that share to 94%.
- Marci Sepulveda says worker health coverage for her 11-employee Chicago business costs about $500 a month and that she contributes $150 monthly, but wants to contribute more and cannot afford it.
- Affordable Care Act included a provision imposing a 40% tax on employer plans above a set value; opposition from Corporate America, unions, Republicans and Democrats delayed it, and the provision was repealed in 2019.
- Trump's presidency has made the strain more pronounced, in part because Affordable Care Act subsidies expired and raised costs for millions, while impending Medicaid cuts passed by Republicans have created new worries for working and lower-income Americans.
- Elizabeth Mitchell says Congress and the administration have a very limited understanding of the commercial market; after more than 20 years of policy stasis, some employers are advocating more regulation as bipartisan bills on anticompetitive contracts, vertical consolidation and price transparency collect dust.
- Landon Dais says companies in his Bronx district complain that health-plan options are unaffordable; for thousands of gig workers, New York ACA marketplace plans are the only comprehensive coverage, even as Democrats criticize insurers' premium increases.
Why it matters: For workers and small employers, the status quo already carries a visible price: coverage costs about $500 a month, and Sepulveda contributes $150. Yet Medicare for All has no Republican support, while Democrats cannot control Congress and the White House before 2029, leaving them to absorb higher deductibles and copays.
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