Federalist Radio Hour The Blueprint For Fixing A Health System Broken By Obamacare
Dec 12, 2025
Brian Blase, president of Paragon Health Institute and former White House economic policy aide, dives deep into the consequences of Obamacare. He critiques how the subsidy structure shifts costs to taxpayers and fuels inflation. The conversation explores the political battle over extending COVID-era subsidies, revealing alarming trends like phantom enrollments and fraud schemes. Blase emphasizes the need for Republican reform opportunities and a free-market approach to reshape healthcare policy, stressing accountability in the face of industry and government cronyism.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Subsidies Shift Costs To Taxpayers
- Obamacare's subsidies are structurally permanent and have shifted most premium costs to taxpayers over time.
- Expanded COVID-era boosts reduced enrollees' share to under 10%, fueling higher premiums and insurer price power.
Expanded Subsidies Added Inflationary Pressure
- Biden-era subsidy expansions lifted income caps so much higher earners now qualify for exchange subsidies.
- Replacing private spending with taxpayer dollars raised deficits, interest rates, and inflation, Blase argues.
Phantom Enrollments From Fake Signups
- Brokers and ads allegedly lured people with promises of cash or gift cards and enrolled them in fully subsidized Obamacare plans.
- Paragon found huge increases in zero-claim enrollees, rising from 4M in 2021 to nearly 12M in 2024.