Byron Donalds urges work to ‘modernize and reform’ Affordable Care Act

Goverrnment health care as Americans have known it in recent years needs to change, and more funding responsibility should move to individuals, according to Rep. Byron Donalds^[1].

That’s true even if it costs policy holders more^[2] in the short term.

During an interview on Friday with Sinclair Broadcasting’s^[3] National News Desk^[4], the Naples Republican rebutted Democrats’ argument that Affordable Care Act^[5] subsidies should be expanded.

“When you talk about the ObamaCare premium tax credits^[6] that were from the COVID era that Joe Biden put into place, one of the big problems we’re seeing is that the Affordable Care Act is not affordable. Premiums have skyrocketed since it was passed 15 years ago. The things that conservatives warned about with the Affordable Care Act, ObamaCare have now come true. The premiums are out of control, the deductibles are out of control. It’s not affordable. So what Democrats should do is they should work with Republicans to modernize and reform that system so it actually works for the American people.”

It’s arguable that voters aren’t on board with Donalds’ belief that the current scheme should lapse pending what would be a protracted effort to make structural changes.

Polling from the Kaiser Family Foundation^[7] shows 78% of adults and 59% of Republicans back extended subsidies.

The survey further shows that despite Republicans like Donalds framing the issue as “healthcare for illegal aliens,” adults surveyed blame Republicans for the impasse.

“About four in ten (39%) adults who want to see the tax credits extended say that if Congress does not extend these enhanced tax credits, President Trump deserves most of the blame, while another four in ten (37%) say the same about Republicans in Congress. About two in ten (22%) say that Democrats in Congress deserve most of the blame,” KFF reports.

Furthermore, “among those who buy their own coverage (nearly half of whom identify as Republican or Republican-leaning), Republicans in Congress and President Trump receive the majority of the blame (42% and 37%, respectively).”