Extraordinary claims, extraordinary proof:

She alleges that Republicans are planning to defund the ACA by stopping government payments to subsidize ACA marketplace plans. Currently, if you buy your health insurance with Obamacare, the government pays a portion of your monthly premiums up to 90% on a means-tested basis. Eligibility was capped at an annual household income of 400% of the federal poverty level to get some sort of cost reduction.

In 2021, Biden and his goons made this benefit more generous and extended the eligibility to more people with enhanced subsidies for the ACA in the Inflation Reduction Act. Enrollment doubled from 11M previous to 24M with the enhanced tax credit. This has a 4-year time line. It is set to expire this year and of course Republicans aren't going to renew it. Schumer wants it renewed. I suspect a lot of those recipients were illegals or people in line claiming asylum, but that's me editorializing.

Now, if it expires, the 24 million people on Obamacare plans are looking at ~$1000+ increases in their annual (not monthly, but full year) out-of-pocket contribution to their premiums depending on their income. Moreover, healthcare costs more, and insurers are looking at jacking up their overall annual premiums ~18% in 2026, so these customers are looking at a double whammy: nearly 20% higher price and they lose a huge chunk of their government subsidies on top of that. The ACA, as we all knew, is unaffordable.

Insurers, of course, are happy to have 24 million more covered lives on their books than they would otherwise have. If those price changes go through, many of them are going to have to drop coverage and go without health insurance. For insurers, this represents ~$90 billion/yr. They're about to lose at least half of it. $45 billion is a strong incentive to shut down the government. And one of Schumer's biggest talking points has been that Trump's taking away your healthcare.

Source: KFF (formerly Kaiser Family Foundation), Lo, et al., Sept 25, 2025 (link)