The Smartest Idea to End the Shutdown & Address Obamacare Policies Yet – Top 3 Takeaways, November 10th, 2025
Takeaway #1: The smartest idea I’ve heard yet
Welcome to day 41 of the partial federal government shutdown. Also known as the 41st day you likely still haven’t felt the impact of the shutdown (aside from hearing about it every day). But as I mentioned last Monday, much of that would begin to shift as travel troubles would begin to come into play along with SNAP benefit delays. The odds are you still wouldn’t have any idea that 34% of the federal government has been offline for 41 days, which continues to be a teachable moment, however the odds that you have been impacted are increasing. Coming out of the weekend, analyzing the latest data, the impact between federal government employees, those on benefit programs impacted, and also through travel delays has reached about 20%-22% of the U.S. population. Also, economic estimates now show that overall impacts to the U.S. economy are starting to show – with the GDP growth forecast being cut by just under 1% most recently. That could end up having an ambient impact on just about everybody. In other words, it’s at the point where common sense needs to prevail – which is a tall ask in a highly partisan congress. For example, how often have you looked at Chuck Schumer and thought – now there’s a guy who’s making a lot of sense right now? But you know who is making a lot of sense? The same guy who is great at cutting deals a la his Art of the Deal. On Sunday, progress was made in the Senate with a vote that could clear the way for the full federal government to be funded through at least January with some of the government funded through the end of the current fiscal year - next September. While Senate majority leader John Thune expressed optimism, following the vote to break the filibuster, with eight Democrats peeling off to join Republicans, in exchange for full backpay for federal government employees, a restoration of the jobs eliminated by President Trump during the shutdown and a future vote on Obamacare subsidies. President Trump expressed something else that could provide a permanent solution to this standoff and also the debate about failed Obamacare exchanged based policies too. As the president posted on Truth: NO MORE MONEY, HUNDREDS OF BILLIONS OF DOLLARS, TO THE DEMOCRAT SUPPORTED INSURANCE COMPANIES FOR REALLY BAD OBAMACARE. THE MONEY MUST NOW GO DIRECTLY TO THE PEOPLE, TAKING THE “FAT CAT” INSURANCE COMPANIES OUT OF THE CORRUPT SYSTEM OF HEALTHCARE.
Takeaway #2: THE PEOPLE CAN BUY THEIR OWN, MUCH BETTER POLICY, FOR MUCH LESS MONEY, SAVING, FOR THEMSELVES, AN ABSOLUTE FORTUNE!!!
This is the smartest idea I’ve heard yet and here’s why. In last week’s Q&A entitled: How Much You Pay for Obamacare Subsidies – I brought you this: 92% of the ACA plans in use have been subsidized, meaning – paid for by you and me and other federal taxpayers. The total subsidies, known as “premium tax credits” for ACA plans is $125 billion annually, The average subsidy paid is $5,727 per plan. What the president is proposing as a compromise is this. Rather than continuing to prop up the fraud of the not-Affordable Care Act policies in the marketplace through unsustainable subsidies, that raise the cost of healthcare on everyone who pays federal taxes...what he’s suggesting is to take the money that would be used for subsidies and instead simply send that money to people directly for the use of paying for their own healthcare. Here’s the sheer brilliance of this idea. First of all, how many current Obamacare policy holders do you think would turn around and use $5,727 to purchase health insurance on the ACA exchange? The Obamacare fraud (which has become nothing more than socialized health insurance) would likely collapse under its own weight. The second thing it would do is make those who would truly seek out healthcare policies for their families to become good consumers of health insurance and thus better consumers of healthcare. As I also recently illustrated, in addition to the average federal taxpayer having to pay an additional $780 to $1,560 for healthcare to subsidize the ACA policies...it’s commonly the case that subsidized healthcare plans provide better coverage than most employer and privately provided plans. This is due to those shopping in the marketplace seeing that they can get higher end health insurance plans effectively paid for by taxpayers through subsidies, so why not? It’s a form of insult to injury for the average American family struggling to account for paying for their own family's healthcare needs. Having worked with Health Plan Network for a few years on a private alternative to ACA policies – we’ve proven that tailored shopping for health insurance needs will save 30% - 60% of the typical ACA exchange-based plan. This dynamic would also force health insurance companies to become more competitive in their offerings. As Trump followed up with in a subsequent post: PAY THE PEOPLE, NOT THE INSURANCE COMPANIES! Short of eliminating Obamacare which John McCain put an end to when Republicans last had a chance, this is the best idea I’ve heard yet and it’s one I personally could vote for if I were in Congress. Although it could also be argued President Trump’s best idea of all would be one that could result in the best policy outcomes of all (at least for now)
Takeaway #3: Ending the filibuster
President Trump has been pushing the issue for weeks without movement in the senate as Majority Leader Thune has said the GOP doesn’t have the votes to do it (and also clearly hasn’t wanted to do it). But as Trump posted again: Republicans Should Terminate the Filibuster (THE DEMS WILL DO IT THE FIRST CHANCE THEY GET!), End the Shutdown, Pass lots of Great “Things,” and Win the Midterms. SO EASY TO DO - Be the Smart Party, Not the Stupid Party! He’s probably right here. Do you think that Democrats in the future will end the filibuster if/when the have majorities to do it? If you do, voting to end the filibuster now and passing all of the policy President Trump and the GOP have wanted to do is by far the smartest thing to do. Is it a risk? Yes. Am I comfortable with it? No. Does it make sense? Yes. It all comes down to how much you trust the future of the Democrat Party in the age of AOC-Bernie and Mamdani?