Medicines are stocked on the shelves of a pharmacy on May 12, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
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Health care is at the center of the longest federal government shutdown in U.S. history. This shutdown is nearing completion, but the health problem that caused it has still not been resolved.
Starting in 2021, people who shop for health care through the Affordable Care Act marketplaces will receive additional help—in the form of tax credits—to purchase their plans.
If Congress fails to reach a compromise, those subsidies that made Record number of Americans are signing up for ACA plans will expire for health plans in 2026.
Negotiations to reopen the federal government also promise a Senate vote on health care subsidies by the second week of December. But this informal transaction is not part of the official legislative text reopen the government.
Meanwhile, open enrollment has begun, allowing consumers to shop ahead of next year's plans. Because Congress has not yet agreed to renew subsidies, many of the 24 million people who have these plans will see big jumps in monthly price they can pay compared to their 2025 plans.
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