Health Care Increases Will Be ‘Very Painful for the Republican Party’

Tuesday on CNN’s “News Central,” Republican pollster Frank Luntz said the midterm elections would be “very painful for the Republican Party” if Congress does not pass a solution to the expiration of Affordable Care Act subsidies.

Host Brianna Keilar said, “Republicans tell us this again and again, blaming Obamacare for this. We should note that fact-checkers have found that Obamacare has not played this role in dramatically increasing insurance premium costs. But of course, we know that doesn’t always take into account whether or not voters believe something. Do voters believe that Obamacare is being blamed? ?

Luntz said, “No, they don’t like it and they don’t want it. And it’s going to play a major role in the 2026 election. The longest shutdown we’ve had in American history, started off hurting Democrats more than Republicans, ended up hurting President Trump more than anyone. If the government shuts down because they still can’t find a solution to this problem, it’s going to be very painful for the Republican Party because, as you note, every survey, every poll released It shows that Republicans will be affected more than Democrats But at the end of the day, it’s not about polls, it’s not about politics or elections, at the end of the day we have a significant percentage, millions and millions of people who can’t afford their health care.

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