On Sunday, seven Senate Democrats and one independent voted to endorse a Republican agreement to reopen the US government. Senators approved a tentative deal to end the government shutdown, which started on October 1. The plan includes passing three full-year funding bills for specific agencies and implementing a short-term extension to keep the rest of the government funded through Jan. 30.
The federal government went into a shutdown after the two political parties failed to reach a compromise on budget issues. A key sticking point in negotiations was Democrats' insistence on extending tax credits and subsidies for Americans obtaining health insurance through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace health insurance exchanges, and Republicans' insistence on abandoning that form of financial support.
"Weeks of negotiations with Republicans have made clear that they will not address healthcare as part of shutdown talks - and that waiting longer will only prolong the pain Americans are feeling because of the shutdown," Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) said in a statement as reported by InDepthNH, regarding her vote. Furthermore, she said, “This agreement gives Democrats control of the Senate floor—at a time when Republicans control every level of power—on one of our top legislative priorities: Extending the enhanced premium tax credits to make healthcare more affordable for millions of Americans.”
For months, healthcare advocacy groups have warned about the impact of rising premiums on families, workers, and individuals relying on the ACA marketplace, and have consistently urged Congress to make the Enhanced Premium Tax Credits (EPTCs) permanent.
Anthony Wright, the executive director of healthcare advocacy group Families USA, stated in response to the legislative package that “The shutdown may be ending, but the fight to contain healthcare costs must continue. More than 22 million Americans who purchase their own health coverage are now at risk of facing skyrocketing premiums or losing their coverage altogether.”
“We are profoundly disappointed that this agreement includes only a promise of a future vote on extending the enhanced premium tax credits that millions of Americans depend on to afford their coverage,” Wright added.
“With open enrollment for 2026 coverage already underway, families are making decisions about their health and finances now — they cannot afford to wait another month for Congress to act,” Wright stated. “The Congressional Budget Office estimates that even if the tax credits are extended at the end of the year, over a million and a half Americans will lose coverage from the sticker shock and may never come back.”
