Topic: Obamacare Premiums

The media and Democratic politicians are criticized for blaming President Trump for rising Obamacare premiums. A clip from a New Hampshire senator claims Trump is "undermining" the law by refusing to fund cost-sharing subsidies. The hosts argue that the system was already failing and that the "risk corridors" were a fundamental flaw in the original legislation.

White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest defended the Affordable Care Act as premiums are set to rise significantly across the country. Earnest warned that the penalty for not having insurance—roughly $700—is a significant cost that can be avoided by signing up on Healthcare.gov. Critics argue that for many, the penalty is still cheaper than a single month of high-deductible insurance premiums, which continue to climb in states like Washington.

The 2016 Obamacare open enrollment period is identified as a major campaign issue due to rising premiums and insurers exiting the marketplace. Architect Jonathan Gruber appears on CNN to suggest that the system requires a larger individual mandate penalty to punish "free-riders" and bring more people into the system. Gruber defends the law as a bipartisan solution based on Republican principles, while the hosts characterize the rising costs as a "disruptive innovation" scam.

Obamacare architect Zeke Emanuel appeared on Fox Business with Maria Bartiromo to defend the Affordable Care Act. Emanuel blamed Republicans and Marco Rubio for the withdrawal of major insurance companies like Aetna and UnitedHealth from the exchanges, while Bartiromo highlighted rising deductibles and costs for consumers.

President Obama delivered a speech defending the Affordable Care Act, arguing that premium increases are often the fault of employers rather than the law. The hosts mock the President's dismissal of consumer concerns and his use of the "Thanks Obama" meme.

Obamacare architect Ezekiel Emanuel appeared on Fox News to defend the law against reports of massive premium increases. He argued that the law has lowered overall healthcare inflation, despite individual cases of 400% premium hikes. The hosts mock his "up is down" logic and his attempts to blame insurance companies for the rising costs.

Adam Curry clarifies that his high health insurance premiums are a result of the Affordable Care Act's impact on the private market, rather than being "on" Obamacare himself. He discusses the difficulty of organizing a grassroots campaign for Congress, noting that despite verbal support, finding volunteers to collect signatures remains a challenge.

White House advisor Stephanie Cutter's whiteboard presentation on the Affordable Care Act is dissected. The hosts argue that the projected premium scales—where families pay more as their income rises—function as a progressive tax rather than a cost-saving measure, and they mock the video's poor production quality.