The debate over extending healthcare subsidies is being deliberately mischaracterized to pressure Congress, Sen. Ron Johnson told Newsmax on Wednesday.
The Wisconsin Republican said on "Wake Up America" that "more than 22 million just revert to the original Obamacare subsidies — the vast majority continue," disputing repeated assertions that the looming deadline would result in mass coverage losses.
Johnson said the enhanced subsidies, enacted during the pandemic, were always temporary and affected a relatively narrow slice of enrollees — primarily those earning more than 400% of the federal poverty level. Under current law, he noted, most Obamacare participants will continue receiving subsidies once the enhanced benefits expire.
"The only people losing subsidies are those above the income threshold," Johnson said. "If Democrats think the original subsidies aren't generous enough, they should blame the people who wrote the law — Democrats."
While Johnson expressed sympathy for higher-income Americans who now face sharply higher premiums, he rejected calls for a blanket extension of the enhanced subsidies, which he said would cost hundreds of billions of dollars and perpetuate systemic abuse.
According to Johnson, roughly 1.6 million people were encouraged to retire early based on the promise of temporary subsidies and are now facing annual premiums exceeding $30,000 per year. He said Republicans are open to narrowly tailored relief for those individuals and that bipartisan discussions are already underway.
"I can see doing something for those folks," Johnson said. "It would cost as little as half a billion dollars a year. We don't need to throw hundreds of billions at this."
Johnson also pointed to what he described as rampant fraud tied to the enhanced subsidies, alleging millions of "phantom policies" created by unscrupulous brokers.
"Of the 24 million people supposedly enrolled, maybe six million of those policies don't even exist," Johnson said. "Insurance companies collected premiums and paid no claims. That's about $27 billion a year in fraud."
Republicans, Johnson said, cannot justify extending a program under those conditions.
He also rejected Democrat accusations that Republicans are responsible for rising healthcare costs, emphasizing that the GOP neither created Obamacare nor passed the enhanced subsidies.
"This was all done by Democrats," Johnson said. "They designed it, expanded it, and scheduled it to expire — and now they want to blame Republicans."
Rather than extending the subsidies wholesale, Johnson said their expiration presents an opportunity to highlight what he called Obamacare's structural failures and push for reforms that lower costs without expanding government spending.
"Obamacare has been a miserable failure," he said. "We ought to take this opportunity to explain that to the American public."
Johnson also dismissed a critical Vanity Fair profile of President Donald Trump's White House as media "overreach," arguing the article reflects a familiar pattern of legacy outlets exaggerating routine access and manufacturing controversy where little exists.
"I didn't find anything particularly surprising or alarming or damaging about it," Johnson said. "Don't make a mountain out of a molehill."
The Vanity Fair article, which focused on behind-the-scenes dynamics inside the Trump administration, has drawn attention in left-leaning media circles for its portrayal of internal deliberations and staff access.
Johnson noted that the piece was based on multiple interviews approved by those involved and said the content failed to reveal anything new or consequential.
"The only thing that surprised me was that they sat down for 11 interviews," Johnson said, adding that the article did not undermine the administration's effectiveness or direction.
GET TODAY NEWSMAX+:
NEWSMAX is the fastest-growing cable news channel in America with more than 30 million people watching!
Reuters Institute reports NEWSMAX is one of the top news brands in the U.S.
You need to watch NEWSMAX today.
Get it with great shows from Rob Schmitt, Greta Van Susteren, Greg Kelly, Carl Higbie, Rob Finnerty – and many more!
Find the NEWSMAX channel on your cable system – Go Here Now
BEST OFFER:
Sign up for NEWSMAX+ and get NEWSMAX, our streaming channel NEWSMAX2 and our military channel World at War.
Find hundreds of shows, movies and specials.
Even get Jon Voight's special series and President Trump's comedy programs and much more!
Watch NEWSMAX+ on your smartphone or home TV app.
Watch NEWSMAX anytime, anywhere!
Start your FREE trial now: NewsmaxPlus.com
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.