Throughout the government shutdown, Democrats demanded that Congress extend the temporary COVID-19-era Obamacare subsidies. This week, Senate Democrats are expected to bring this matter to a vote. But their bill will likely be even worse than a simple extension. 

The Democrats’ bill would spend roughly $300 billion over three years to continue these expanded subsidies while repealing several program-integrity and anti-fraud provisions enacted earlier this year. 

Enrollment for Obamacare is strong so far in 2025. This adds to the overwhelming case for allowing the COVID-19-era subsidies to end after 2025, as scheduled by Democrats in 2022’s Inflation Reduction Act.  

Initial enrollment is running about 400,000 sign-ups ahead of last year at this time, despite the scheduled expiration of the subsidies. One reason is that Obamacare’s underlying subsidies are extremely large and grow more generous every year, as taxpayers pay the entire difference between a capped enrollee contribution and the full premium. 

As premiums have soared,........

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