Agreement to end the government shutdown puts healthcare of 24 million people at risk

"For nearly 40 days, Democrats were locked in a standoff with the Trump administration, refusing to yield to the president's pressure to reopen the federal government. The consequences of the longest shutdown in U.S. history were significant: mass layoffs of federal workers, chaos at the nation's major airports, and the disruption of the food stamp program, on which one in eight Americans depend."

"The shutdown may be ending, but the fight to contain healthcare costs must continue, said Anthony Wright, executive director of Families USA, a health rights advocacy organization, in a statement Monday. More than 22 million Americans who purchase their own health coverage are now at risk of facing skyrocketing premiums or losing their coverage altogether. We are profoundly disappointed that this agreement includes only a promise of a future vote on extending the enhanced premium tax credits that millions of Americans depend on to"

Democrats withheld support for reopening the federal government for nearly 40 days to block a White House proposal because federal subsidies that make health insurance affordable are set to expire at year-end. The shutdown caused mass layoffs of federal workers, airport disruptions, and food stamp interruptions affecting one in eight Americans. Seven Democratic senators and independent Angus King joined Republicans to advance a deal that only guarantees a December vote on extending enhanced premium tax credits. More than 22 million people who buy their own coverage face higher premiums or loss of coverage. Advocacy groups expressed profound disappointment and urged continued efforts to secure subsidy extensions.

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