Obamacare Promises and Realities: NH Democrats Continue Controversial Claims

Fourteen years after President Barack Obama’s high-profile Portsmouth visit promoting the Affordable Care Act, New Hampshire Democrats continue making disputed claims about the landmark healthcare legislation, echoing a pattern established during the law’s initial passage.

When Obama addressed Portsmouth residents in 2009, he made a now-infamous promise: “If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor. If you like your health care plan, you can keep your health care plan.” This assurance helped secure support for the bill, including from then-freshman Senator Jeanne Shaheen, who joined every Senate Democrat in voting for the legislation.

That pledge, however, was later deemed 2013’s “Lie of the Year” by PolitiFact – though notably after Obama won reelection in 2012. During the same Portsmouth address, Obama also vowed, “I won’t sign a bill that adds to the deficit or the national debt,” a promise that has since been broken as the ACA has contributed tens of billions to national debt figures, particularly through “emergency” subsidy increases during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Today, New Hampshire’s Democratic delegation, led by Senator Shaheen, continues advocating for expanded ACA funding. Shaheen, who highlights her efforts to secure billions in enhanced Obamacare spending, recently warned: “Let’s be clear what’s at stake: If Congress doesn’t extend ACA enhanced premium tax credits, the American people will be left footing the bill for soaring health care costs at a time when too many are struggling to stay afloat.”

Her statement inadvertently acknowledges a contradiction at the heart of the ACA debate – despite hundreds of billions spent on the system since 2011, Americans continue facing “soaring health care costs.” Industry data from Thatch confirms this reality, showing average group health insurance premiums have increased by more than 50 percent since 2010, raising questions about when the “Affordable” Care Act might actually make healthcare more affordable.

Critics point to Shaheen’s framing as particularly misleading, as she suggests Americans would avoid “footing the bill” if emergency subsidies continue. The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimates that “extending the enhanced subsidies in full would cost $350 billion over a decade” – an additional expense beyond regular ACA funding that ultimately comes from taxpayers.

Another contentious aspect of current Democratic messaging involves conflating emergency benefits with standard Obamacare subsidies. If Congress takes no action, most ACA recipients would still receive pre-emergency benefits, with low-income marketplace customers continuing to pay minimal premiums. According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, “The average marketplace premium after tax credits is projected to be $50 per month for the lowest-cost plan in 2026 for eligible enrollees.”

The claims have extended beyond Senator Shaheen herself. Her daughter Stefany recently stated in a fundraising email that “In New Hampshire, an average family of four will see their premiums increase next year by $7,000 if the ACA tax credits are not extended.” This statement overlooks the fact that the “average New Hampshire family” isn’t covered through the ACA marketplace – only about 70,000 residents (roughly 5% of the state’s 1.4 million population) purchase insurance through the exchange.

The Wall Street Journal further clarifies that ending emergency subsidies would primarily impact Americans aged 55 and older with incomes above 400 percent of the poverty line – essentially, affluent early retirees representing a small fraction of overall enrollment. These are the beneficiaries that New Hampshire’s Democratic delegation, including Senators Shaheen and Hassan, prioritized during recent government funding disputes.

As healthcare costs continue rising and partisan debates over ACA funding intensify, New Hampshire voters face the same question posed when Obama first visited Portsmouth: Will the promises match the reality?