As the federal government shutdown drags on with no end in sight, the debate over whether to extend federal health insurance subsidies continues to play a central role in the impasse.

U.S. Senate Democrats are conditioning their votes to reopen the government on an extension of tax credits for the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare. Republicans remain unwilling to negotiate until the shutdown ends, with some calling for a more-comprehensive overhaul of health care in place of extending the subsidies.

Democratic state legislators pressed the issue at a news conference at the Minnesota Capitol last week, joined by union representatives and others affected by health care costs.

One of those speakers was Lisa Lynch, a single mother from Minneapolis who was diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cance

See Full Page