Government Averts Shutdown, Leaves 24 Million on Obamacare Cliff
Bloomberg Politics reports that a deal to avert a government shutdown conveniently left the 'Obamacare cliff' unresolved. This means some 24 million Americans could see their health-care premiums spike in January. While politicians scramble to save face from manufactured fiscal crises, genuine crises affecting their constituents (like affordable healthcare) are punted down the road, apparently
less urgent than keeping the lights on in federal buildings. It's almost as if the urgent funding of, say, foreign military aid trumps stability at home. For context, in October 2023, while these 'cliffs' were brewing, the House voted 326-100 to pass a bill (HR 815) providing $14.3 billion in aid to Israel, with many members who took significant donations from groups like AIPAC voting yes. The
same urgency rarely translates to keeping insulin affordable or preventing millions from losing health coverage. Funny how that works.