Vice President Kamala Harris committed make these subsidies permanent. Former President Donald Trump’s campaign said he would let them expire.

Good for Trump. Grants are a scam. They give billions of dollars to insurance companies and encourage fraud at taxpayers’ expense.

Grants allow people to earn between 100% and 150% of the federal poverty level, $31,200 and $46,800 for a family of four, to purchase premium-free exchange coverage. As their incomes exceed 150% of the poverty line, people must spend a small but steadily increasing share of their income on premiums. At 400% of the poverty threshold, or $124,800 for a family of four or more, premiums are capped at 8.5% of income.

These enhanced tax credits are so generous that “nearly half of exchange participants have fully subsidized plans.” according to research from Paragon Health Institute.

These savings line the pockets of insurance companies. “Free” money prevents patients from feeling the true cost of coverage. Insurers can raise prices with impunity. Taxpayers foot the bill.

The subsidy structure also encourages fraud. Obamacare enrollees are encouraged to underreport their income in order to qualify for free exchange coverage.

It’s a serious problem in nearly half of the states, according to at Paragon. Between 4 and 5 million patients are fraudulently registered for free plans. Covering them could cost taxpayers $20 billion in 2024 alone.

Democrats complain that removing enhanced subsidies would leave 7 or 8 million people without their health plans. But half of these people would end up benefiting from insurance through their employer, according to the Congressional Budget Office. In this case, why do taxpayers have to pay for their care?

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The federal budget cannot afford to extend enhanced subsidies. Our national debt already exceeds 35.8 trillion dollars. The CBO estimates that making the expanded subsidies permanent, as Harris promised, would cost taxpayers $335 billion from 2025 to 2034.

Republicans rightly want to end enhanced tax credits. They are actually arguing for a return to Obamacare’s original subsidy system. Shouldn’t Democrats be OK with this?

Sally C. Pipes is President and CEO and Thomas W. Smith Health Policy Fellow at the Pacific Research Institute. His latest book is False premise, false promise: the dire reality of Medicare for All (Meeting 2020). Follow her on @sallypipes.