U.S. President Donald Trump and U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) prepare to shake hands during a Rose Garden Club lunch at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., October 21, 2025. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
During Joe Biden's presidency, Obamacare enjoyed record-high enrollment thanks to his aggressive funding of subsidies for the Healthcare.gov exchanges — where millions of Americans who don't have employer-sponsored plans have been getting health insurance. But nine months into Donald Trump's second presidency, Democrats are warning that unless Congress funds Obamacare subsidies, the number of uninsured Americans will skyrocket.
The Affordable Care Act of 2010, a.k.a. Obamacare, is at the heart of the standoff between Democrats and Republicans in Congress. While Democratic lawmakers are calling for Obamacare subsidies to be aggressively funded as they were under former President Biden, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) opposes that. And the United States' federal government has been shut down since October 1 as Johnson fights with Democrats in Congress over a spending plan.
In a column published on October 24, Politico reporters Mia McCarthy and Calen Razor warn that "Republicans are barreling toward the Obamacare subsidy cliff" and "don't have a unified plan to address it."
"With just over a weekuntil open enrollment begins," McCarthy and Razor explain, "Republicans have not figured out what they want to do about the enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies set to expire at the end of the year. If Congress doesn't act, millions of Americans will see dramatic price hikes for their health care plans…. That lack of direction comes from the top down…. with President Donald Trump providing little guidance on what he wants Republicans to do. But GOP leaders will need Trump's sign off on any fix for the subsidies — and they're running short on time."
Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-New Jersey), a former Democrat who switched to the GOP in 2020, told Politico, "If it's not too late, it's damn close."
A GOP source interviewed on condition of anonymity and described by McCarthy and Razor as someone "familiar with the (Trump) administration's thinking," told Politico, "I don't think the president cares to save (former President Barack) Obama's legacy legislation that has proved to be a failure and an ongoing headache for everyone involved. I do see a scenario where the president sees a pathway for a health care policy bill that could receive some bipartisan support."
Read the full Politico column at this link.