David Axelrod, a political commentator for CNN and former aide to President Barack Obama, faced criticism on social media over a post about a couple in Wisconsin who had to abandon their expansion plans because of skyrocketing premiums under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). He shared that they had hoped to grow their small business but were forced to cancel due to Congress’s inaction leading to a threefold increase in ACA premiums. This situation, he suggested, was likely happening to others across the country as well.
The ACA, also known as Obamacare, was enacted by President Obama back in 2010.
Senator Eric Schmidt (R-Missouri) remarked sarcastically, “If only I knew whose signature bill this was…”
The U.S. government entered a shutdown on October 1 after Democrats insisted that spending legislation be tied to an extension of expiring COVID-19 Obamacare subsidies. However, after a period of stalled negotiations, some Senate Democrats opted to reopen the government without extending those subsidies.
If these subsidies expire at the end of 2025, millions of ACA recipients will revert to the federal aid levels that existed before the pandemic.
Scott Jennings, another CNN colleague of Axelrod’s, quipped, “I wish we could find out who wrote this law in the first place!”
Tim Carney from the Washington Examiner commented on Axelrod’s post, noting, “This ‘ACA’ sounds like a pretty bad friggin’ deal,” alluding to remarks made by then-Vice President Joe Biden.
One commenter expressed confusion, saying, “Strange. I don’t think it’s affordable.” A video surfaced in which Axelrod had previously touted the ACA for its potential to better the lives of people nationwide.
Wall Street Journal film critic Kyle Smith shared a screenshot of text from an article in the archives of President Obama’s White House that characterized the ACA as cost-reducing and capable of saving over $1 trillion in its first two decades.
In 2022, Axelrod had also voiced concerns about prescription costs no longer covered by insurance, drawing backlash from some party colleagues, including Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, for his stance against Medicare for All.
Reflecting on the ACA’s passage in 2017, Axelrod recalled being emotional, with people often discussing its positive impacts on their lives. He remembered the challenges he faced affording his daughter’s treatment as well.
He acknowledged that while there were issues, he also criticized Republican efforts to repeal the law at the time.
Despite being open to improvements, he suggested that efforts should also focus on stabilizing interest rates within private insurance exchanges, which cater to about 3% of Americans. Previously, a bipartisan group of senators had been working on a plan to address this before the ongoing attempts to dismantle Obamacare took precedence.
