EDITORIAL: Obamacare shoppers, alert! Until Congress acts, you lose.

Oct. 31--Another Obamacare health insurance enrollment period dawns Wednesday with millions of Americans facing harsh reality: They'll pay more for less next year. Just like they did last year. And the year before.

They'll find the Obamacare marketplace even more confusing. Some silver plans, for instance, will cost more than gold plans. But bronze plans could be free for some working-class customers; that's because tax credits increase along with the costs of plans. Be alert, shoppers.

They'll have a shorter enrollment period -- 45 days instead of three months. Procrastinators, beware.

There may be fewer "navigators" to help people choose, and less advertising to remind stragglers. The marketplace website -- www.healthcare.gov -- will be down for maintenance most Sunday mornings. Plan accordingly.

Even choosing the path of least resistance -- automatically re-enrolling in this year's plan -- could be risky. Insurers are changing their offerings. So people may find themselves with a plan that includes different doctors, or reimburses differently for drug costs.

Congressional Republicans had months to repeal and replace or fix this faltering law. They failed.

Democrats mostly heckled from the sidelines, content to let the GOP stumble on a major campaign promise.

A few weeks ago, a frustrated President Donald Trump swept away one of the pillars of the law -- subsidies to insurers to help low-income households. Those holdover subsidies from the Obama years are likely illegal, as federal district court judges have ruled.

Trump's action prompted a swift reaction: Democratic Sen. Patty Murray of Washington and Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee introduced a proposal that would restore those subsidies. Their proposal also would loosen federal mandates to encourage flexibility in benefits, competition among insurers and lower prices for everyone. Yes, that's a Democrat and a Republican agreeing on a way to improve Obamacare.

We like the proposal because it would provide more choices -- especially for healthier Americans -- and lower premiums. The plan would would not substantially change the number of people who are covered, the Congressional Budget Office says. That's a big advantage compared with earlier GOP plans, under which millions of Americans would have lost or dropped their coverage. More young Americans likely would buy insurance because the bill also would allow states to expand low-cost, high-deductible "copper" plans, the CBO says.

The president sounded like he supported the Alexander-Murray plan, until the next day, when he didn't. So it goes with Trump.

The bill now is in legislative limbo because it is not a total victory for one side or the other. It's -- gasp! -- a compromise. We repeat what should be obvious by now: This gets resolved only via negotiations between Democrats and Republicans.

Conservative Republicans, you won't reduce Obamacare to rubble and make more people fend for themselves again. You tried that already. Give it up.

Liberal Democrats, you won't get your single-payer socialized "Medicare for all" fantasy. It's too expensive and gives the federal government too much control. Give it up.

Until the two parties wise up and cut a deal, lawmakers abdicate responsibility to President Trump, who famously remarked that health care is more complicated than he thought. Now he's trying to goad both parties to act.

Neither Republicans or Democrats should wait for a president to draft a solution. It's not his job. It's yours, lawmakers.

Produce a reasonable agreement, or prepare to tell voters why you didn't. Explain to those millions of Americans why their insurance premiums keep rising and their coverage keeps getting stingier.

And don't expect much sympathy.

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