Time is short for an ACA premium fix in the shutdown fight, says GOP insurance leader

Selena Simmons-Duffin

October 04, 2025 / 6:56 am

On Capitol Hill right now, there's a partisan argument over if and when lawmakers need to act to extend subsidies for the Affordable Care Act marketplaces. That's where 24 million people — who don't have insurance through their jobs or a public program like Medicaid — buy health plans.

The argument is at the heart of the government shutdown that started Oct. 1.

Democratic lawmakers say extending enhanced premium tax credits is urgent, with open enrollment weeks away. Republican lawmakers say there's time to negotiate over a policy later, since the subsidies expire in December.

Who's right?

"The window is rapidly closing," says Jon Godfread ,

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