With the federal government shut down amid an impasse over Affordable Care Act subsidies, Florida policymakers are bracing for more uninsured people under the age of 65 and higher costs for those who keep coverage.

Yet with just over two weeks before open enrollment, questions loom, and answers about the way forward are in short supply.

Alexis Bakofsky , the Deputy Commissioner of Life and Health Insurance for Florida’s Department of Financial Services, painted a grim picture that could see rates increase by 34.1% year over year before subsidies are factored in.

“That’s not a typical rate we’d see for this market,” she said of the hike, which could lower enrollment by “25-30%” according to estimates she had heard.

Currently, 4.7 million Floridians have ACA individual insurance, m

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