New Hampshire taxpayers, beware. The federal government is quietly implementing a massive taxpayer-funded bailout for special interests. Not only that, this bailout will allow the Affordable Care Act to continue wreaking havoc in your state for years to come.

So which special interests are getting your money? Health-insurance companies.

Six years ago, health insurers were some of the Affordable Care Act’s biggest fans. They lobbied for the law because they thought it would be a financial windfall – it literally forces Granite Staters to buy their product.

But instead of finding gushers of cash, they’re drowning in red ink. Health insurers in New Hampshire and across the country lost $3.2 billion in 2014 and over $10 billion in 2015. This year’s losses will be even higher.

Many insurers are now abandoning the law. So far, two have pulled out or will pull out of New Hampshire between 2016 and 2017, and the remaining four may soon follow suit. Nationwide, well over 100 insurers have already fled the law’s exchanges.

That’s where the taxpayer bailout comes in.

President Obama’s legacy is directly tied to his signature law, so he’s trying to stop the exodus at any cost. But insurers will only stay if someone subsidizes their losses.

The government has already tried. The Affordable Care Act contains two programs that shift money from profitable insurers to unprofitable ones, known as reinsurance and risk corridors. But the administration never expected so many companies to lose so much money. As a result, insurers have only received 12.6 percent of what they’ve requested.

The administration has nonetheless said that it views these payments as an "obligation" and that it’s "explor(ing) other sources" of funding. But the only other source is taxpayers’ wallets.

This bailout could take three forms – all of which Congress can and must stop.

The first bailout is already happening. The law’s plain text requires the Obama administration to deposit $5 billion from the reinsurance program into the U.S. Treasury. Instead, it sent the money to insurers – a blatant theft from taxpayers. The Government Accountability Office, a federal agency, declared this move illegal.

The second bailout involves Congress. Lawmakers have wisely required the other program, risk corridors, not to spend a cent of taxpayer money. But the White House wants Congress not to renew this provision after the election. This would put New Hampshire taxpayers on the hook for tens of billions.

If this doesn’t work, the Obama administration has one last option. Many insurers have sued the federal government claiming they’re owed reimbursement for their losses. The president’s own Department of Justice rejects this argument, but the White House doesn’t care. It’s trying to settle the lawsuits and pay nearly 200 insurers using an obscure account-funded by taxpayers – designed to cover federal legal expenses. Once again, the Government Accountability Office ruled this move illegal.

Use is moving forward anyway. Yet any bailout will only use billions of taxpayer dollars to prop up the Affordable Care Act at a time when Granite Staters can least afford it. The state’s average premium hikes for 2017 are on track to be over 12 percent. There’s also dwindling competition, narrower networks, and sky-high deductibles of up to nearly $7,000 for the cheapest plans.

Between now and December, Congress must block any further bailouts and recoup the $5 billion that’s already been funneled to health insurers. Nearly 60 pecent of voters agree.

No wonder: A taxpayer bailout for special interests is bad enough. A bailout that ignores the need for real health-care reform – and allows a crumbling law to do ever more harm to Granite Staters – is even worse.

Nathan Nascimento is senior policy advisor at Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce.

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