Full Breakdown
Rep. Thomas Massie Labels Obamacare “Trumpcare” Amid Rising ACA Premiums
7/10/2026, 4:36:44 PM
Core Event
On Wednesday, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) posted on X that “Might as well call it Trumpcare now. Our party has made no serious effort to repeal Obamacare and legalize affordable health insurance after taking control of the House, Senate & White House.” He added, “Why? Because the current system enriches insurance and hospital companies.” Massie’s comment coincides with newly released filings showing ACA Marketplace insurers are proposing a median 14 percent premium increase for 2027.
Background & Context
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has been in effect since 2010. In 2025, Congress allowed the enhanced premium subsidies created by the American Rescue Plan to expire, leaving many enrollees without additional financial assistance. Republicans gained control of the House, Senate and the White House in early 2023, giving them the votes needed to repeal or substantially amend the ACA if 60 Senate votes are secured to overcome a filibuster. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has declined to schedule a vote on a clean three-year extension of the enhanced subsidies, arguing that any cost offsets must come from other spending cuts.
Data & Statistics
- Premiums: KFF analysis of filings from 77 insurers in 16 states and the District of Columbia shows a median requested increase of 14 percent for 2027, the second-largest rise since 2018. The figure is lower than the 18 percent median request for 2026 but still represents a more than one-third jump over two years.
- Enrollment: ACA enrollment fell by about 3 million people year-over-year as of February 2024, a decline attributed to the loss of enhanced subsidies and higher costs prompting healthier individuals to exit the market.
- Risk Pool: Insurers cite a “higher morbidity” risk pool—fewer young, healthy enrollees and more older, sicker members—as a driver of higher rates.
- Geographic Scope: Filings cover Connecticut, D.C., Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Texas, Vermont and Washington.
Official Statements & Responses
White House spokesman Kush Desai responded to Massie’s criticism: “This is an astonishingly uninformed take. No president has done more to take on big insurance and hospital special interest groups than President Trump – phasing out taxpayer-funded subsidies to insurance companies, cracking down on private hospitals profiting from federal programs … and more.”
Republican leaders argue that the expiration of the enhanced subsidies ended a “taxpayer-funded handout to insurers.” They also point to the fact that a majority of consumers still qualify for the standard ACA subsidies, which continue to lower out-of-pocket costs for many.
Criticism & Opposition
Democratic officials blame the Republican agenda for the premium surge. Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) said, “Donald Trump and his puppet Mike Collins, they doubled health insurance premiums for more than a million Georgians and threw 300,000 Georgians off their insurance altogether.”
Kendall Witmer, rapid-response director for the Democratic National Committee, asserted, “Healthcare is unaffordable for millions of Americans because Donald Trump and Republicans sold them out to give billionaires even bigger tax cuts.”
Leslie Dach, chair of the Democratic-aligned group Protect Our Care, added, “This was a deliberate choice by Republicans who took away affordable coverage from millions of people to help fund tax breaks for billionaires and big corporations.”
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
The 14 percent figure reflects median requests from the insurers that have filed so far; final approved rates may differ once state regulators review the proposals. The decline in enrollment is attributed by Republicans to “fraud,” yet the administration has not provided evidence linking fraud to the drop, while analysts emphasize the impact of higher premiums and the loss of enhanced subsidies.
Verbatim Quotes
- “Might as well call it Trumpcare now. Our party has made no serious effort to repeal Obamacare and legalize affordable health insurance after taking control of the House, Senate & White House,” — Thomas Massie, U.S. Representative (R-KY)
- “Why? Because the current system enriches insurance and hospital companies,” — Thomas Massie, U.S. Representative (R-KY)
- “This is an astonishingly uninformed take. No president has done more to take on big insurance and hospital special interest groups than President Trump – phasing out taxpayer-funded subsidies to insurance companies, cracking down on private hospitals profiting from federal programs meant to help non-profits, and more. The Trump administration continues, moreover, to work with Congress to pass the President’s Great Healthcare Plan that will slash costs and increase transparency for every American.” — Kush Desai, White House spokesman
- “Donald Trump and his puppet Mike Collins, they doubled health insurance premiums for more than a million Georgians and threw 300,000 Georgians off their insurance altogether,” — Jon Ossoff, U.S. Senator (D-GA)
- “Healthcare is unaffordable for millions of Americans because Donald Trump and Republicans sold them out to give billionaires even bigger tax cuts,” — Kendall Witmer, Democratic National Committee rapid-response director
What’s Next
Congressional leaders are expected to debate proposals for expanding health-savings accounts and other market-based reforms, while state regulators will review the 2027 premium filings throughout the summer. The timing of any legislative action on ACA subsidies or repeal remains uncertain.
