Meanwhile, back in ObamaCare...

"And ObamaCare? There is always next year. Maybe we can just kick the can down the street. Like we never have done that before."

First the good news. We are approaching the most festive time of the year. Thanksgiving, followed by the run up to Christmas, then Christmas Eve, Christmas itself, and finally the New Years celebration. It is going to be a blast! Now the bad news. Under the radar hide two ugly items. The first is the current CR (Continuing Resolution). It expires on December 8th. The second is ObamaCare. That wart keeps getting bigger and uglier all the time.

I pulled up a recent CNN Money article which showed the projected increased on each of the three types of ObamaCare plans. In October, President Trump eliminated the illegal cost sharing subsidies for ObamaCare. That really threw a monkey wrench into the 2018 premium increases. However, before Trump finished signing the order, he told Congress this was theirs to fix. And because Congress cannot walk and chew gum at the same time, this issue now lies on the floor of Congress, just like a cow pie.

Back to the ObamaCare plans. According to this October 2017 CNN Money article, Bronze Plans will increase by an average of 18%; Silver Plans will increase by an average of 34%, and; Gold Plans will increase an average of 16%. For some reason Iowa is really going to get hosed, as their Silver Plans are going up as much as 60%.

So where does that leave us right now? If you are in Congress, it leaves you on vacation. Yes, it is the long awaited Thanksgiving break. The fix on ObamaCare? Well, the Senate  tax bill will eliminate the ObamaCare mandate. According to one expert I heard over the weekend, that part of the tax bill (once reconciled) has somewhere between a slim to none chance of surviving. In other words, the mandate is probably safe.

But think of this. Congress will continue to tinker with this tax bill, which will give some a parsimonious decrease in taxes, others a tax increase, and for the very few, a sizable decrease in taxes. ObamaCare increases however, are going to devour many of those gains (for those who get gains).

When you wonder why Congress now has historically low ratings, one has to look no further than our healthcare. When Nancy Pelosi helped get this POS passed in the dark of night, she really did break Humpty Dumpty. It would have taken Houdini type skills to put our healthcare back together again. Instead, we have the Keystone Cops in both chambers messing with the Humpty's eggshells. Bottom line - I fear we are either stuck with this failing ObamaCare, or a fix which is just as bad.

So cheer up folks! Thanksgiving is Thursday. Then everyone will start slowing checking out for the impending Christmas season. The CR? Oh, we will just extend it again. That is our pattern. And ObamaCare? There is always next year. Maybe we can just kick the can down the street. Like we never have done that before.