Darrell Issa’s Continued Campaign Against Obamacare
In March 2017, a group of 300 protesters gathered outside the field office of California Representative Darrell Issa. Armed with homemade tombstones, they voiced their disapproval of his vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA), commonly known as Obamacare. The demonstrations persisted each week until Issa announced in 2018 that he would not seek reelection.
Fast forward to today, Issa has returned to Congress with an ongoing agenda to dismantle the ACA. Recently, he was among 196 House Republicans opposing a bipartisan measure aimed at reinstating tax credits under Obamacare. These credits had previously reduced insurance costs for approximately 22 million Americans, including 8,000 from Issa’s constituency. Without them, some have reportedly seen their insurance premiums quadruple since they lapsed on January 1.
The rejected proposal sought to extend these tax credits for an additional three years. Although it passed the House, its outcome in the Senate remains uncertain. Instead, Issa supported an alternative plan that proposed the complete elimination of Obamacare.
In a December 9 interview with Fox Business, Issa stated, “There will be less subsidy, there will be better scrutiny over fraud, and there’s intended to be a real phase out of Obamacare.”
Issa and fellow Republicans have frequently argued that fraud is widespread in Obamacare credits, a claim contested by health policy scholars. Michael Gusmano, who teaches health policy at Lehigh University, told CNBC that the extent of fraud is minimal, and improving security measures would be more effective than cutting subsidies. Gusmano remarked, “It really is trivial, the scope of fraud. It’s just a scare tactic to justify the reduction of the federal government’s role in subsidizing health insurance.”
Between 2011 and 2017, Issa consistently voted to abolish Obamacare a total of 17 times. During President Donald Trump’s first term, he championed the American Health Care Act, a bill intending to partially repeal the ACA. The Center for American Progress estimated that up to 37,000 individuals in Issa’s district would lose insurance under this act.
Initially skeptical of the American Health Care Act, Issa eventually provided the tie-breaking vote that enabled its passage in the House. However, the proposal failed in the Senate following a decisive vote against it by Republican Sen. John McCain.
Beyond Obamacare, Issa has expressed opposition to other government healthcare initiatives. Last year, he supported the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBB), which led to significant cuts to Medicaid. A Democratic analysis found that over 24,000 constituents in Issa’s district risk losing insurance due to OBBB, with numbers exceeding 32,000 when factoring in the expired Obamacare credits.
The OBBB also poses threats to rural hospitals relying on Medicaid reimbursements. Two hospitals in Issa’s district, located in Murrieta and Temecula, anticipate a combined revenue loss of $14 million.
Issa is seeking reelection this year, although the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) lists him as one of the most endangered Republican incumbents. While he secured nearly 60% of the vote in CA-48 in 2024, impending redistricting changes are expected to make the district more competitive.
