Don’t let Congress turn a short-term subsidy into a long-term scam – Orange County Register

In the land of Reagan, California families already face some of the steepest health care costs in the nation, with premiums and deductibles eating up bigger chunks of household budgets every year. The state’s Obamacare insurance marketplace has warned of more price hikes ahead, putting even greater pressure on working families. Instead of confronting the underlying reasons why health care is so expensive, lawmakers often prefer the political expediency of masking rising costs with more handouts.

In Washington D.C., nothing is more permanent than a temporary government program. Case in point: President Biden’s short-term COVID-era enhanced subsidies for Obamacare that Congress now wants to extend permanently. For the sake of taxpayers, fiscal responsibility, and sound health care pol