You Don’t Need to Vote for Socialists to Get Universal Health Care
The Atlantic argues that the Democratic Party's focus on universal health care is being obscured by both political extremes, suggesting that restoring ACA subsidies is a more practical solution than single-payer systems. The piece criticizes the current administration's rollback of social spending and the resulting spike in insurance premiums.
Why it matters
It highlights the ongoing debate over healthcare policy in the U.S. and the ideological divide within the left regarding the best path to universal coverage.
Critics on the left and the right are, for different reasons, obscuring the Democratic Party’s long commitment to this cause.
Illustration by The Atlantic July 15, 2026, 7 AM ET Share Save T he Trump administration is implementing the most sweeping rollback of social spending in American history. Millions of Americans are being thrown off Medicaid. The president and his Republican allies in Congress refused to extend enhanced subsidies for people buying individual health insurance on Affordable Care Act exchanges, which Democrats have warned since last year will cause millions more to lose coverage while health-insurance premiums spike for those still enrolled. Last week, as Democrats predicted, insurers on the exchanges announced premium increases averaging 14 percent, coming atop a 20 percent hike the previous year.
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