Senator Johnson Torches Obamacare; Explains Who’s Really Losing ACA Subsidies

During a of the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, Senator Ron Johnson delivered a blunt critique of the Affordable Care Act, arguing that Obamacare’s design — not the expiration of temporary COVID-era subsidies — is driving soaring health insurance premiums across the country. Johnson pointed to testimony from small business owners and individuals whose premiums are doubling or tripling as enhanced subsidies expire at the end of 2025. He stressed that most Americans on the exchanges will still receive subsidies under the original Affordable Care Act framework, but those earning above 400% of the federal poverty line are now facing massive cost increases. The senator traced the problem back to structural flaws in Obamacare, contrasting it with pre-ACA insurance markets that allowed flexibility, catastrophic coverage, and state high-risk pools for preexisting conditions. Johnson warned that the current system is unsustainable, citing premium increases of more than 160% on exchanges nationwide, and argued that continuing temporary subsidies only masks deeper failures rather than fixing them.