During the Government shutdown, editorial pages exhibited an ideological divide on Obamacare premium subsidies

Nov. 11, 2025

Predictably, the editorial pages of major, legacy journalism media took partisan sides in the fight over A.C.A. premium subsidies. From being necessary, to being unaffordable, to being political, opinions about the subsidies sought by Democrats to offset rising healthcare premiums under the Affordable Care Act spanned a range as wide as the political divide in America. With the U.S. Government shutdown ending without such relief, necessity took a back seat to politics.

Further Reading :

• Commentary : Affordable Care Act Subsidies Are a Lifeline for Millions of Americans. Don’t Let Congress Take Them Away. [U.S. News & World Report]
  Nov. 5, 2025 — Millions of Americans who depend on the Affordable Care Act for their health insurance coverage are standing on the edge of a cliff. At the end of this year, unless Congress acts, special tax credits that in recent years have allowed more people to be able to afford coverage by the ACA, will expire – and the consequences will be swift and devastating for our entire country.
• Opinion : The unaffordability of Obamacare comes home to roost [The Washington Post]
  Nov. 1, 2025 — Democrats took the government hostage and forced the partial shutdown a month ago with the stated rationale of compelling Republicans to extend A.C.A. premium subsidies. The Congressional Budget Office and the Joint Committee on Taxation estimate that would cost $350 billion over the next 10 years.
• Opinion : The Politics of ObamaCare Subsidies [The Wall Street Journal]
  Oct. 7, 2025 — Democrats should be losing the government shutdown fight, since they’re denying the votes needed to pass a funding bill. But they could end up winning this showdown in the end, because President Trump and Republicans are showing signs that sooner or later they’ll cut a big check for ObamaCare. That’s a shame because the GOP needn’t be afraid of the politics.

Key Words :

• 2025 U.S. Government shutdown threat
• Affordable Care Act
• Donald J Trump
• Joshua B. Green