Overview
- The compromise advanced Sunday with eight Democrats joining Republicans after a 40‑day shutdown, funding most government operations temporarily but leaving enhanced premium tax credits unresolved.
- Senate Majority Leader John Thune promised an up‑or‑down vote in mid‑December on extending the credits, while House Speaker Mike Johnson has not committed to holding a House vote.
- Marketplaces and insurers have priced upcoming plans assuming no extension, with KFF estimating average premiums for subsidized enrollees more than doubling and some regions facing triple‑digit increases.
- About 24 million people are enrolled in ACA marketplace coverage, a majority receive tax credits, and analysts say the lapse would hit many Republican‑leaning Southern states especially hard and increase the uninsured by roughly 4 million over time.
- President Donald Trump called the subsidies a windfall for insurers and urged sending money directly to individuals, prompting declines in major health insurer stocks as Republicans floated early-stage alternatives such as pre‑funded federal flexible spending accounts.