These families' health care costs will balloon if Congress doesn't act on the ACA

The government shutdown has ended without resolving a fight over health insurance. Congress failed to extend enhanced tax credits that have helped millions of Americans on Affordable Care Act plans cover their plan costs since 2021.

Senate Republicans have promised a vote on the enhanced subsidies before the end of the year. But open enrollment for these plans is already underway and consumers are facing sky-high prices and little certainty about whether they'll get relief.

And making matters worse, insurers have raised prices on these plans, because they predict that without the tax credits healthier people may not sign up in 2026, leaving them a sicker, costlier pool of customers . Premiums on the marketplaces are rising by an average of 26% next year, according to health policy org