Here’s how much Obamacare will increase if Trump and Congress don’t strike a deal

The cost of health care under Obamacare, or the Affordable Care Act, is at the center of the current government shutdown.

Americans who buy private health insurance through the Obamacare marketplace are officially receiving notices about how much their premiums will increase next year.

The Trump administration previewed the new plans sold under the Affordable Care Act, which President Barack Obama signed into law in 2010.

According to a new analysis of the plans published by the health policy nonprofit KFF, the average Obamacare enrollees will see an average 30% increase in states (30) where the federal government manages marketplaces. For states that manage their own markets, enrollees will see an increase of 17%.

Those estimates do not include federal subsidies or tax credits that millions of Americans have relied on since the COVID-19 pandemic. Those tax credits and cuts to Medicaid and Medicare are at the center of the current government shutdown. Given the high cost of living, Democrats are demanding that the Trump administration and Republican-controlled Congress restore the cuts to health care and make the pandemic-era tax credits permanent.

So far, the White House and Republicans have refused to make a deal with Democrats, as the shutdown has lasted for 28 days.

If tax credits are not extended by the end of the year, KFF estimates that enrollees’ monthly premium payments will more than double, increasing by about 114% on average.

The Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, significantly increased the number of insured Black Americans, who are disproportionately uninsured. However, disparities in health coverage persist.

Obamacare was a signature achievement of the Obama administration; however, affordability has remained a pain point for the health care law, which sought to expand coverage for middle-class Americans.

President Donald Trump made repealing Obamacare a major policy goal during his first term in office and has for years disparaged it. However, despite attempts to repeal it, Republicans have failed to put forth a viable alternative. Experts point out that while Obamacare isn’t perfect, it has made health insurance more accessible for millions of Americans.

On Wednesday, Trump told reporters on Air Force One that he believed Republicans and Democrats could work together to create something “much better.”

“We have to fix health care, because ObamaCare is a disaster,” said the president. “When you see the increases in ObamaCare, it never worked. It never will work, and we can do something with the Democrats much better than ObamaCare.”

He added, “I think it’s a great time for the Republicans and Democrats to get together and make something that will work, and let the insurance companies make money — they’re entitled to that, but not the kind of money that they’re making.”