{"id":75867,"date":"2025-10-02T10:05:41","date_gmt":"2025-10-02T17:05:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=75867"},"modified":"2025-10-02T10:05:41","modified_gmt":"2025-10-02T17:05:41","slug":"health-care-costs-at-the-core-of-government-shutdown-standoff","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=75867","title":{"rendered":"Health Care Costs at the Core of Government Shutdown Standoff"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_author tdi_65 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_1 tdb-post-meta\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_65\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-author-name-wrap\"><span class=\"tdb-author-by\">By<\/span><a class=\"tdb-author-name\" href=\"https:\/\/americancommunitymedia.org\/author\/sunita\/\">Sunita Sohrabji<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_date tdi_66 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_1 tdb-post-meta\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_66\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><i class=\"tdb-date-icon tdc-font-fa tdc-font-fa-calendar\"><\/i><time class=\"entry-date updated td-module-date\" datetime=\"2025-10-01T15:32:57-07:00\">Oct 1, 2025<\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_subtitle tdi_67 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_1\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_67\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>Health insurance premiums for millions of Americans will double this fall as ACA premium tax credits expire. Republicans blame Democrats for causing a shutdown over the issue.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_featured_image tdi_68 tdb-content-horiz-left td-pb-border-top td_block_template_1\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_68\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"entry-thumb td-animation-stack-type0-2\" title=\"ACA\" src=\"https:\/\/americancommunitymedia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_0497-1.jpeg\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/americancommunitymedia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_0497-1.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/americancommunitymedia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_0497-1-300x200.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/americancommunitymedia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_0497-1-768x512.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/americancommunitymedia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_0497-1-150x100.jpeg 150w, https:\/\/americancommunitymedia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_0497-1-696x464.jpeg 696w\" alt=\"ACA\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" \/><figcaption class=\"tdb-caption-text\">(Molly Kamdon photo\/Creative Commons license)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_content tdi_69 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_1 td-post-content tagdiv-type\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_69\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>The federal government formally entered a shutdown Oct. 1, with a vicious debate over the extension of enhanced Affordable Care Act premium tax credits fueling the bi-partisan stand-off.<\/p>\n<p>About 750,000 federal workers are expected to be furloughed during the government shutdown. Active duty members of the military must continue to work during the shutdown, without pay unless Congress signs the \u201cPay Our Military Act.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Senate Democrats have three times blocked a two-week funding extension, saying they will not agree to a measure that does not include preservation of the enhanced ACA credits.<\/p>\n<p>But even as Congress struggles to re-open government, more than 22 million Americans will receive notices of new ACA monthly premiums this month, which will be about double of what they pay now, said Anthony Wright, executive director of Families USA, in a Sept. 30 interview with American Community Media.<\/p>\n<p>The enhanced premium tax credits \u2014 which Congress authorized at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic are offered to individuals whose health care premium exceeds 8.5% of their monthly income. They are set to expire Dec. 31, but notices of new premiums will go out this month as Open Enrollment begins Nov. 1.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-premium-spikes\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Premium Spikes<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s the urgency of the moment,\u201d said Wright. \u201cMillions of Americans are about to face massive premium spikes in what they pay for health coverage,\u201d he added, noting that millions will pay upwards of $1,000 for healthcare coverage.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed aligncenter is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered\"><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-0\" class=\"\" title=\"X Post\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=AmCommMedia&amp;dnt=true&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-0&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1973493231032869193&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Famericancommunitymedia.org%2Fpolitics%2Fhealth-care-costs-at-the-core-of-government-shutdown-standoff%2F&amp;sessionId=94f6efc442f3dbb6b387ece2738c9f34f28f4495&amp;siteScreenName=AmCommMedia&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&amp;width=550px\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-tweet-id=\"1973493231032869193\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>\u201cAnd so for those politicians who say maybe we put this off, their time is running out. People are going to fall off, be pushed or priced out of coverage because of these premium spikes, if nothing is done. A lot of people will be scared off.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-4-million-will-lose-health-coverage\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">4 Million Will Lose Health Coverage<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cEven if Congress fixes this issue at the end of the year or early next, a lot of people will be scared by the sticker shock. We won\u2019t be able to get them back. And that\u2019s not good for anybody,\u201d said Wright. He noted that the \u201cOne Big Beautiful Bill,\u201d which passed the House and Senate this summer, doled out millions to the wealthy, while refusing to extend enhanced ACA premium credits for the working class.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s why we\u2019re in this mess right now. There is now an urgency because it wasn\u2019t dealt with in any of the previous pieces of legislation,\u201d said Wright. Small business people and their employees, gig workers \u2014 who currently make up about 1\/3 of the US economy \u2014 farmers, ranchers and others will all immediately feel the impact of doubled monthly premiums, he noted.<\/p>\n<p>Several health advocacy groups have predicted that roughly 4 million Americans will lose health care coverage at the end of this year because they cannot afford higher premiums. Additionally, the \u201cOne Big Beautiful Bill\u201d \u2014 recently rebranded the \u201cWorking Families Tax Cut Act\u201d \u2014 has placed tighter constraints around Medicaid eligibility, and is expected to leave 12 million people without healthcare coverage.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-white-house-responds\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">White House Responds<\/h2>\n<p>In a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/WFTCA-Illegal-Immigrant-Healthcare-Memo-FINAL.pdf\">memo<\/a>\u00a0released Oct. 1, the White House claimed that Democrats are holding the US government hostage as they seek to provide $193 billion in health care to undocumented residents. \u201cDemocrats and their Fake News allies want you to believe it\u2019s all a lie that Democrats shut down the government over free healthcare for illegal aliens.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cExcept that\u2019s exactly what happened,\u201d read the memo. \u201cAs Vice President JD Vance\u00a0said,\u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s not something that we made up. It\u2019s not a talking point. It is in the text of the bill that they initially gave to us to reopen the government.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The memo went on to read: \u201cDemocrats\u2019 proposal would allow California to continue exploiting a loophole to fund Medicaid for illegal aliens.\u201d Congressional Republicans have supported the false statement, saying they do not want to support healthcare funding for \u201cillegal aliens.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>House Majority Leader Steve Scalise released a\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/scalise.house.gov\/press-releases\/scalise-schumer-needs-to-end-his-tantrum-and-reopen-the-government\">statement<\/a>\u00a0Oct. 1, which read in part: \u201cThe American people do not want to be held hostage to Chuck Schumer\u2019s radical demands to fund illegal health care.\u201d Appearing on \u201cThis Week With George Stephanopoulos\u201d Sept. 28, Scalise said the enhanced tax credits were created during the Covid-19 pandemic, and there was no need to continue the program now that \u201cCovid is over.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/americancommunitymedia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_0496.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-41160 td-animation-stack-type0-2\" src=\"https:\/\/americancommunitymedia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_0496.png\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/americancommunitymedia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_0496.png 1024w, https:\/\/americancommunitymedia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_0496-300x200.png 300w, https:\/\/americancommunitymedia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_0496-768x512.png 768w, https:\/\/americancommunitymedia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_0496-150x100.png 150w, https:\/\/americancommunitymedia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_0496-696x464.png 696w\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">National Immigrant Law Center graphic.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>California, along with several other states, does offer health care to its undocumented residents via Medi-Cal, the state\u2019s version of Medicaid. The federal government currently pays 62% of California\u2019s overall Medi-Cal budget \u2014 $107 billion \u2014 while the state chips in 22%.<\/p>\n<p>However, California uses only\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.familydocs.org\/news-governors-2025-26-may-revision-proposes-major-cuts-to-healthcare-and-undermines-medi-cal-expansion-commitments\/\">state dollars<\/a>\u00a0to fund Medi-Cal for undocumented residents. Beginning next year, the state will freeze new enrollment, and in 2027, will implement a $30 monthly premium for undocumented residents who get their health care through Medi-Cal.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>BySunita Sohrabji Oct 1, 2025 Health&#46;&#46;&#46;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-75867","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-health","category-opinion"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75867","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=75867"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75867\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":75868,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75867\/revisions\/75868"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=75867"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=75867"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=75867"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}