Melanie D'Arrigo renews push for universal healthcare as ACA expirations fuel premium spikes

While making a case for universal healthcare, Democratic politician Melanie D'Arrigo claimed that the U.S. healthcare system was far from the best among wealthy countries. "The U.S. ranks dead last in health outcomes out of wealthy nations because our healthcare system is designed to maximize profits," she wrote in a post on X. She also shared a video in which broadcaster Mark Levin claimed that the U.S. had better healthcare than several countries.

"Would you rather get a doctor and get surgery in our country or in Russia, Cuba, even socialist Canada, or Britain?" he asked. "Where people are dying waiting in line for basic treatments. Would you rather pay the massive tax rates of France, Germany, Canada, or the U.K., or the rates you pay in our country?" D'Arrigo has long campaigned for universal healthcare in America, as is the norm in the U.K. and several European countries.

Earlier, she had shared a post on X claiming that Affordable Care Act insurers were charging the second-highest premium rate in close to a decade. "Health insurance premiums always go up because the insurance industry always wants to extract more and more profit," the Democratic politician wrote. "End the exploitation. Demand universal healthcare with Medicare for All." The progressive activist and politician's claims aren't completely unfounded.

Apart from Congress allowing the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to expire at the end of last year, significant cuts were also made to Medicaid under President Donald Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act. As per a recent PBS report, filings submitted by 77 insurers in the ACA program point to a 14% median increase in premiums in 2027.

Insurers claimed that when the ACA subsidies expired, the cost of several plans surged, leading to the exodus of several enrollees. This only left high-risk patients, who carry higher costs, and increased premiums. While ACA beneficiaries only make up 10% of the American population, similar situations have led to private plans becoming costlier, including employer-sponsored ones. At the beginning of this year, when the subsidies expired, the median rate increase in premium costs was 20%.

The high prices have forced millions to forego their healthcare plans. According to NPR, four million more either disenrolled or failed to pay their premiums, which led to their coverage being dropped. "The main takeaway is that enrollment is down 13% from last year," said Cynthia Cox, director of KFF's Program on the ACA, adding, "While the Trump administration attributes this drop in enrollment to their attempts to address fraud, this coverage loss happened at the same time millions of people faced double or even triple-digit increases in their premium payments with the expiration of enhanced tax credits."