With increased healthcare costs likely to be a significant issue in the midterm elections, Democrats are seeking to capitalize on recent polls showing the public holds Republicans more responsible for the situation, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday.
"We Democrats are going to be relentless in making sure the American people exactly understand who is to blame for the rates," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said.
Democrats have been running campaign ads, highlighting the issue in Congress and writing articles aimed at illustrating how the premium increases on Affordable Care Act exchanges are due to actions taken by President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans.
Democrats have particularly cited that after the GOP failed to repeal Obamacare, they have taken steps to chip away at it, such as repealing the penalty on Americans who go without health coverage as part of the tax-reform bill signed in December.
Democrats charge this scattershot approach has led to higher premiums, particularly for older, less-healthy Americans, by letting healthier people opt out of the ACA.
Republicans counter Obamacare remains the main reason health-insurance premiums are continuing to rise, along with what they say is Democratic resistance to overhauling the law.
However, the public appears to disagree with the GOP, as 61 percent of voters said Trump and Republicans would be responsible for problems with the ACA going forward, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation poll released this past November.
More recently, a CNN poll on the issue in March also showed Democrats hold a huge advantage – 56 percent to 36 percent – on whom voters trust to handle healthcare.
Republicans, however, contend they are trying to provide relief, including pending action that would permit more people to buy cheaper, less-comprehensive coverage, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Some Republicans are hoping the concern over rate increases spurs a renewed push to repeal the ACA before the midterms, although that is seen as a longshot.
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