Health insurance premiums on the Affordable Care Act’s marketplaces are set to soar after Congress failed Thursday to pass a last-minute plan to avert the rate hikes.

As many as 4 million people could be forced to go uninsured, because they can no longer afford their health plan. I spoke with some of them earlier this fall. These are working parents, entrepreneurs, and retirees — all now facing impossible choices because of the loss of their government aid.

They are fed up with their livelihoods being exploited for politics, and it’s this population — those with health insurance subsidized by the federal government — who, in particular, think Republicans have dropped the ball.

A recent survey found that 76 percent of people who get their insurance through the ACA and want the subsidies extended would blame President Donald Trump or Republicans in Congress if they are not. The broader public, the vast majority of whom would also like to see the aid extended, agrees; 48 percent of voters blame the GOP, while 32 percent pin it on the Democrats, per a new Morning Consult poll.

On Thursday, the Senate failed to pass two partisan measures that were designed to avert premium spikes. One proposal from the Democrats would have extended the financial subsidies for three more years; it........

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