Americans are coming face-to-face with the rising health insurance costs at the center of the longest government shutdown in history — and what it means for their pocketbooks next year.
Since open enrollment started Nov. 1, they’ve been able to buy health plans for 2026 on Healthcare.gov and state-run marketplaces created by the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Nearly all are finding they will have to pay more — some, significantly more — for their monthly premiums. Costs are soaring because health insurance is getting pricier and enhanced subsidies Congress approved nearly five years ago are going away.
The government is shut down because congressional Democrats won't vote for a spending bill unless it extends subsidies beyond their Dec. 31 expiration date. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-New York) said Friday his caucus would vote to reopen the government in exchange for a one-year extension of the subsidies, but Republican leaders dismissed the proposal.
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