Democrats plot messaging blitz ahead of Obamacare hikes

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Politico

10/31/2025 05:55 AM EDT


In Wisconsin, Democrats are launching nearly 400 canvassing events this weekend focused on health care. A major liberal advocacy group, Protect Our Care, will push a six-figure digital campaign. Top Democratic governors, including Kentucky’s Andy Beshear and Laura Kelly of Kansas, are holding press calls to “to slam D.C. Republicans for causing Americans’ health care premiums to skyrocket.”

It adds up to a campaign of doomsday messaging aimed at voters’ concerns about health care as premium spikes are due to arrive. “November 1st is a health care cliff for the American people, and I think it’s also a political cliff for Republicans,” said Brad Woodhouse, executive director of Protect Our Care, a liberal nonprofit that has hosted a dozen town halls with House Democrats throughout the country on the impending premium increases. “More and more people are paying attention to it.”

In the coming days, Democrats will launch ad buys, hold town halls and convene media appearances to highlight the Nov. 1 date when Americans must choose to purchase insurance through the Affordable Care Act marketplace with higher premiums or forgo it altogether, an attempt to ensure Republicans shoulder the blame for rising health care costs.

Some of the tactics, like the DNC holding a call with former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, are routine. But others are more national in scope, including Protect Our Care is deploying a digital search advertising campaign that targets people who are researching their ACA health care plans online with ads blaming Republicans. Those ads will run in House districts held by vulnerable Republicans in Arizona, Iowa, New York and Pennsylvania, among other places.

Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/31/aca-obamacare-enrollment-democrats-republicans-00630819

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[progree]

1. "... highlight the Nov. 1 date when Americans must choose to purchase insurance through the Affordable Care Ac

appearances to highlight the Nov. 1 date when Americans must choose to purchase insurance through the Affordable Care Act marketplace with higher premiums or forgo it altogether,

ABSOLUTELY NOT TRUE...

Millions face ‘huge sticker shock’ when ACA open enrollment starts Nov. 1, CNBC, 10/31/25
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/10/31/aca-open-enrollment-starts-enhanced-subsidies.html

During open enrollment, consumers pick their health plans for the coming year.

While open enrollment generally lasts through Jan. 15, there’s a Dec. 15 deadline to ensure coverage starts at the beginning of 2026.

(emphasis added)

What the media has been warning is that a lot of people will see their 2026 ACA premiums for the first time on Nov. 1 -- while the enhanced premium tax credits are in limbo -- if those aren't renewed, the out-of-pocket premiums will be much higher than the ones on the websites Nov.1 , at least that's my understanding from what I've read before. But the CNBC article makes it sound like the premiums being displayed will assume no extension of the enhanced premium tax credits. Even with enhanced premium tax credits, premiums are expected to increase substantially -- again from what I've read elsewhere.

Congress has yet to extend the enhanced subsidies that make insurance premiums cheaper for about 22 million of the 24 million Americans who buy insurance over the ACA exchanges.

Recipients’ health premiums are set to increase by 114% in 2026, on average ((that's a bit more than a doubling -progree)), without the enhanced subsidies, according to KFF, a nonpartisan health policy research group.

Certain enrollees, such as early retirees with modest incomes, face much larger increases, health experts said.
As things stand, enhanced subsidies will expire.

Prospective enrollees in an ACA marketplace plan should pick their 2026 health insurance coverage with this in mind, Cox said. In other words, don’t pick a plan based on the expectation that Congress will extend the enhanced subsidies, she said.

However, she recommends enrollees pay close attention to the news. If Congress reaches a deal, enrollees should come back and look again, because their options and costs may have changed, Cox said.

“If it were me, I’d probably make a note on my calendar to shop over Thanksgiving or in early December,” with an eye to the Dec. 15 deadline, Cox said.

Luckily, the open enrollment period offers relative flexibility, Burks said.

Consumers can pick a plan and select another plan later within the open enrollment period without consequence, he said.

[Deminpenn]

4. The sticker shock is going to hit on Nov 1

regardless of when current or prospective enrollees make their decisions.

[seabiscuit5920]

2. Trump's promise of the best health care plan in the world

When Trump ran for the 2016 election, he said he had best health care plan in the world. When asked later, he said he would submit it after the election. After the election when asked about it - he said "In two weeks" He has repeated this promise many times. Why not show clips of him saying these things so as people lose Medicaid and ACA subsidies and the rest of as our premiums are sharply raised are reminded that Trump does not care about this issue.

[progree]

5. Trump approved this Republican health care plan in 2017 - that failed by only one vote

the AHCA and the BCRA. Problem: they were awful

This Wikipedia articles covers both the AHCA (American Health Care Act) and the BCRA (Better Care Reconciliation Act)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Health_Care_Act_of_2017

H.R. 1628, American Health Care Act of 2017, Cost Estimate, CBO, 5/24/17
https://www.cbo.gov/publication/52752
would increase the number of people who are uninsured by 23 million in 2026 relative to current law.


H.R. 1628, Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017, Cost Estimate, CBO, 6/26/17
https://www.cbo.gov/publication/52849
A little bit better: leaving 22 million uninsured in 2026 relative to current law.

This is the one that Senator John McCain famously turned thumbs down on. Otherwise it would have become law.
Start at 2:45

Both can only be described as acts of American Genocide. We need to call the GOP the American Genocide Party.

And no, emergency rooms are not comprehensive health care -- they do just enough to stabilize you and then give you a fistful of prescriptions that you can't afford to fill, and a bunch of referrals to doctors and specialists that you can't afford to see if you are like most uninsured. And I'm not talking about some aberrant ones that have been in a news, wheeling someone out onto the sidewalk and leaving them there. No, no, no, I'm talking about ALL of them. ALL.

[Bayard]

3. Make sure people understand this is why the government is shut down

Dems are fighting to keep their healthcare affordable. Rethugs are trying to end it.

[popsdenver]

6. Yes

Finally, it is about time.........

BUT..........promises, promises, promises,............... I've heard them all........and will wait to see if it materializes......

[mahina]

7. Plot???