Obamacare Premiums Jump While Congress Funds... Something Else Entirely
With a government shutdown looming and federal healthcare subsidies drying up, The Hill dutifully reports on spiraling Obamacare premiums in Idaho. They frame this as a negotiation failure, a legislative hiccup in Washington, a domestic squabble. What they conspicuously omit is the consistent, bipartisan ease with which billions in taxpayer money are allocated elsewhere, often with zero debate,
for interests far removed from American citizens' healthcare needs. Case in point: a Senate vote on foreign military aid. While Idahoans face medical bill shock, consider the roughly $37.6 million AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) spent in 2022 to influence US elections, with millions more funneled directly to 'pro-Israel' politicians. These are the same politicians who, under the
guise of 'national security,' frequently greenlight multi-billion dollar aid packages, often military, to other nations. According to OpenSecrets, Sen. James Risch (R-ID) received $30,000 from pro-Israel groups in 2022. Just last year, Congress authorized an additional $14 billion in aid to Israel —a sum that could have significantly defrayed healthcare costs or bolstered domestic programs. But
hey, what's a functional healthcare system when there's an endless war to fund?