Today Politico sounded an alarm that's been rising in Democratic policy circles: Democrats are walking right into an Obamacare fiasco of their own making. That is, if their lawmaking capacity is so paralyzed that they fail to extend the major boosts to ACA marketplace subsidies provided by the American Rescue Plan Act through 2022.
Politico's Adam Cancryn and Megan Messerly warn concisely:
The scenario has alarmed vulnerable lawmakers and White House allies, who have privately warned senior Democrats in recent weeks that the issue could cost Democrats control of the Senate and decimate their hard-earned reputation as the party of health care.
Politico does report some talks between Manchin and Democratic leadership. At this point, whether ARPA subsidies get extended appears to boil down to whether Manchin and/or Sinema simply want to destroy Democrats' electoral prospects -- now, and given the Republican drive to suppress votes and doctor vote counts, maybe forever. At the Washington Post's Plum Line, Greg Sargent is doubtful that Manchin will let any meaningful legislation pass.
As the clock ticks, I feel compelled to add my popgun to the salvo of increasingly desperate progressive healthcare groups and individuals begging Democrats to find a way to break the Manchin-Sinema blockade and extend the marketplace subsidy boosts provided by the American Rescue Plan.