The threats of disconnecting the federal government turned from an October surprise to a repeating topic. This time, the bets are higher.
Federal financing ended at midnight on October 1, after the Congress was not able to pass even the Stopge budget, while the negotiations continued.
Now the question is how long the dead end will last when the Democrats opposed the Republicans and the presidential administration, which crashed with Constitutional norms And regularly used Political intimidation and primary threats To achieve your goals. Since the Republicans keep only a thin majority in the Senate, any transaction should attract at least a few democratic votes.
The consequences of the closure of public health systems and healthcare programs will be felt far beyond the borders of Washington, the District of Colombia, stopping almost all the insignificant functions of the federal government, including many operations related to public healthcare.
Even September 30, when the clock became Tika until midnight, President Donald Trump renewable threats O Mass issues federal workers, if the democrats did not agree with the requirements of the Republican Party. Some people are worried that such reduction in labor force would even more allow the administration to undermine the operations of the federal government and reduce the budget impasse to what was described as three -dimensional chess or a game with chicken.
Such threats for shooting, and not temporarily suspend, federal workers are “unprecedented,” said J. William Hogland from the two -party political center. The lack of negotiations between the Republicans and the Democrats of the Capitol Hill on the eve of the disconnection is also unprecedented in his experience, said Hogland, a longtime assistant to the Republican Party Senate Committee.
Western lamps are concentrated mainly on medical insurance, when democrats and republicans are faced with the law on affordable medical care and contractions of Medicaid. For Americans with ACA market plans, state subsidies Complete the percentage They must pay the income of households for insurance premiums. Legislators expanded the subsidies in 2021 and extended this additional assistance until the end of 2025 and The impending expiration date From these expanded subsidies will increase costs and reduce the right to receive assistance for millions of enrolling.
Democrats want to further expand subsidies, but many legislators of the Republican Party are resistant to expanding them as it are, and they say that the debate should wait until after a budget transaction in order to maintain the federal government afloat. Antagonism grew up with parties in the battle to convince voters, another party is to blame for the closure of the government.
Said the leader of the minority in the Senate Chuck Schumer On the floor in the Senate on September 30: “The Republicans chose the losing side of the debate in the field of healthcare, because they are trying to remove people's medical care; They would allow people to rise. ”
But the leader of the majority in the Senate John Tyun The accused of the Democrats in an attempt to “take state financing hostage.”
The longer the shutdown lasts, the more influences can be felt. For example, some public medical centers will be at risk of closing, since their federal financing is drying out.
Long -term projects For example, the Federal Emergency Agency to reduce damage from future natural disasters. Rescue services in national parks that remain open will be limited. And in national healthcare institutions many New patients In anticipation of access to experimental treatment methods, it cannot be accepted into its clinical center.
Rights, such as Medicaid and Medicare, will continue, as well as operations in Indian healthcare serviceA field but observation of the disease, support for centers for the control and prevention of diseases for local and state health departments, and all the financing of healthcare programs will be difficult, based on federal medical institutions ” plans for unforeseen circumstancesField
It is expected that the Ministry of Health and Social Services will fall about 40% of its labor force, which has already been reduced by about 20,000 posts in accordance with the Trump administration. About 750,000 employees will be shot down throughout the federal government, according to Assessment published on September 30. The budgetary department of the congress, a non -partisan agency, which calculates the value of the legislation. According to CBO, ultimately they will not work, ultimately they will return per day, a day, the total amount of about $ 400 million.
In HHS research It is expected to pause As for the connections between the prices of medicines and the law on reduction of inflation, the basic law adopted under the former President Joe Bayden on increasing the economy. Despite the reports that the Commissioner of the Office for Control of Products and Medicines Marty Makari said that the FDA will mostly be untouched, the agency would not accept New use of drugs And food safety efforts will be reduced. Federal supervision of the program, which Helps hospitals save life And the evacuation of people in environmental crises is expected to stop.
Less federal employees will be available To help Medicaid and Medicare Enmolrollees. CDC answers to questions about public health care will be suspendedField and work of the federal vaccine injury program also It is expected to stopField
The democrats of the Congress insist that the ACA subsidies should be updated at present because enrolling the Obama era is opened in the healthcare program on November 1. Without expanded subsidies, health insurers warn of two -digit races of bonuses for millions of enrolling persons.
At home, a democratic leader Hakim Jeffris He argued that the “healthcare crisis caused by the Republicans” hangs over the Americans as a result of Trump’s new bill on taxes and consumption, which adds restrictions on Medicaid, which, as expected, will be removed from the program. Republicans also advanced Mass dismissals And the reduction in financing in the country's health department and caused a wide confusion regarding access to some vaccines.
“We are not going to just go together to get along with the republican bill that continues to reflect healthcare for daily Americans,” Jeffris told reporters on September 29. “These people are trying to cancel and oust people from the law on affordable medical care since 2010.”
Meanwhile, the Republicans blew up the democrats for holding funding over subsidies, and they say that any transaction will require concessions.
“If there was some expansion of the existing policy, I think that it was supposed to come with some reforms,” said on September 26 that it would be with some reforms. ”
Such a transaction may include changes to a policy that limits that consumers must pay for the plans of the ACA market in 8.5% of their incomeRegardless of how much they earn. It can also change their ability to receive plans without bonuses, which has become more widely accessible due to enhanced subsidies.
The addition of restrictions on the ACA subsidies will probably reduce the enrollment to the program that led to a decrease during the first administration of Trump and did not reach 20 million for the first time, until last year a milestone was reached to a large extent from subsidies.
Several Republicans expressed interest in expanding subsidies, including a group of representatives of the Republican Party, who proposed to do this last month.
Democrats may argue that the shutdown time will put pressure on their colleagues -republicans, so that they come to the negotiation table on ACA subsidies.
It is expected that a few days after the closure of the ACA reckoning government will receive notifications from their insurers advising them Steep premiumsThe insurers said the field that expiring subsidies forced these large increase in bonuses because the most healthy and youngest people are more likely to abandon the insurance coverage when prices are rising.
The White House, meanwhile, increased his campaign to pressure on the democrats. Press -secretary of the White House Caroline Lithvt He insisted on September 29 that Trump wants to keep the government open.
“Our most vulnerable in our society and our country will affect the closure of the government,” she said.
KFF Health News This is the national news department that creates deep journalism on health care and is one of the main operating programs in the KFF-dependent source of research, surveys and journalism. Find out more about KFFField
Use our content
This story can be reprinted for free (Details)
