"The central fight in the U.S. federal government shutdown has been over healthcare costs, with Democrats demanding that Republicans agree to extend subsidies for the Affordable Care Act set to expire this Saturday. Without an extension of those subsidies, health premiums could more than double for millions of people across the country. The enhanced subsidies were first put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic."
""The purpose of healthcare has increasingly become profit-making rather than a public service," says Dr. Steffie Woolhandler, professor of public health at Hunter College and co-founder of Physicians for a National Health Program. She says that while extending the Obamacare subsidies is vital, the United States should move toward universal public healthcare like every other major Western economy "and away from our private, profit-oriented healthcare system.""
The U.S. federal government shutdown centers on healthcare costs and the imminent expiration of enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies. Democrats are demanding that Republicans extend pandemic-era subsidies set to expire Saturday as a condition for votes to end the shutdown. Without an extension, health insurance premiums could more than double for roughly 20 million people, and many individuals have already received notices of steep premium increases. The enhanced subsidies were originally enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Public health advocates argue that healthcare has become profit-driven and call for a shift toward universal public healthcare like other major Western economies.
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