We hear about this surge in Obamacare enrollments.

The San Francisco Chronicle is even asserting that "the public embrace of the Affordable Care Act amounts to a stark rejection of administration and Republican policy."

Maybe we can call it something like the revenge of the ACA.

The editorial spends a lot of time bashing Trump, but it does not say anything about the economic state of the people signing up.  In other words, are these ACA policyholders going to pay their own premiums, or will they be subsidized in some fashion?

We don't know, and the answer matters a lot.

A week ago, the New York Times wrote another article about Obamacare.  It gave us a glimpse about the dilemma of the middle class, or the people who have to pay their own way.  This is how they described the state of the ACA:

The situation here in Charlottesville is an extreme example of a pattern that can be seen in other places around the country. 

The Affordable Care Act is working fairly well for people who receive subsidies in the form of tax credits, said Doug Gray, the executive director of the Virginia Association of Health Plans, which represents insurers. 

But for many others, especially many middle-class families, he said, "the premium is outrageous, and it's unaffordable."

The New York Times is simply stating the case I hear from friends and acquaintances.  In other words, the people subsidized can get a policy, whereas the people required to pay can't afford it.

As I have seen, many people are simply avoiding signing up and hoping they pay the fine or work out a pay arrangement with the hospital.

Enrollment surge or not, the premiums are way too expensive.

And that's the Affordable Care Act for you!

PS: You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.