If timing is everything, then Sen. Joe Donnelly just made a critical mistake that might will haunt his bid for reelection.
On the same day that half of the insurers participating in Indiana’s health exchange announced that they’d be exiting the market, the Hoosier Democrat blasted out a fundraising email citing his defense of Obamacare.
“Joe has always cared deeply about making sure all Hoosiers have access to affordable, quality health care,” a campaign email obtained by the Washington Examiner read, “which is why he supported the Affordable Care Act.”
Less than four hours before Donnelley’s ill-fated pitch though, the Indianapolis Star reported that Anthem and MDWise would soon stop selling Obamacare plans in all of Indiana’s 92 counties. Together those two companies had been insuring 76,800 Hoosiers on the exchanges.
That’s more than twice the population of Donnelly’s hometown of Granger, Indiana.
Like many other states, Indiana has struggled to keep skittish insurers from fleeing. At its peak, according to the Star, Indiana had eight insurers on the exchange. Today only two remain, CareSource and Centene.
While Donnelly blamed the exodus on the Trump administration’s “deliberate strategy to create chaos,” it’s not clear whether voters will find that argument convincing come Election Day. Already, two potential competitors, GOP Reps. Todd Rokita and Luke Messer, have been stressing Obamacare’s failures. Essentially, Donnelly just handed them a pre-packaged talking point.
The cautionary episode also offers an important insight for the 25 other Senate Democrats running for reelection in 2018. Specifically, check on the status of your healthcare exchanges before you fundraise off of Obamacare.
Philip Wegmann is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.
