(NewsNation) — Tens of millions of Americans are bracing for health care hikes as a potential end to the government shutdown grows nearer, with no extension for Affordable Care Act tax credits in sight.
Senate Republicans and a handful of Democrats have approved a bill that would reopen the federal government. The deal, which could head to a House vote as soon as Wednesday, only guarantees a December vote on the health care tax credits.
Those subsidies are the issue at the center of the longest-ever government shutdown, and Senate Democrats voted against a deal 14 times in an effort to extend them.
Colloquially known as Obamacare, the tax credits help mitigate the cost of private health insurance. Timothy Quinn, medical director of Quinn Healthcare, told NewsNation he’s concerned about what expiring subsidies would mean for his patients’ wallets — and their health outlooks.
A single mother of two told Quinn she would have to “make a choice between health insurance and feeding her children.”
Insurance premiums on the marketplace are widely expected to increase compared to 2025, according to a preview of the available plans released by the Trump administration. Insurers are expected to increase prices by 26% on average, health research group KFF predicted.
Not renewing or extending the subsidies could deal a particular blow to Republican states. Of the 10 states with the highest number of marketplace enrollees, eight voted for President Donald Trump, according to Oxford Economics data.
Trump and other Republicans have suggested giving Americans direct payments for health insurance. Democrats, however, have largely vowed to keep fighting for an extension.
House Speaker Mike Johnson has not committed his chamber to a vote on extending the subsidies.