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A view shows the US Capitol and a stop sign on September 30, 2025, in Washington, DC.
(Photo by Mehmet Eser / Middle East Images via AFP via Getty Images)
What's at Stake in the Shutdown Fight? Affordable Healthcare
If the Republican funding plan passes unopposed, not only could 24 million ACA users see a doubling of their premium costs, but most Americans could see their premiums rise.
Oct 08, 2025
Healthcare access in this country is in grave danger —and your wallet could be, too. Those facts are key to understanding the latest government shutdown.
“My kids have healthcare through Medicaid—which is especially important for my daughter with autism,” Alexis Cortes, a mom of four, told me. But “the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ calls for massive cuts to Medicaid, food assistance, and early childhood education programs,” she warns.
Also at issue are the 24 million Americans who benefit from the soon-to-expire tax credits that help them afford their health coverage on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace. When Republicans passed their tax cuts for billionaires and corporations in this summer’s so-called One Big Beautiful Bill, they intentionally left out renewing this credit that helps regular people afford healthcare.
As a result, according to KFF Health, not only could the 24 million ACA users see a doubling of their premium costs, but most Americans could see their premiums rise if this tax credit isn’t renewed.
The 80% of us who object to defunding our families and communities just so the rich can get richer need to make our voices heard.
Coupled with the over $1 trillion that the GOP bill gutted from Medicaid in order to fund those massive tax giveaways to billionaires, Americans are about to experience significant reductions in their access to health coverage, long-term care, nursing home care, and hospital care, especially in rural areas.
This is what’s at stake with the current government shutdown on Capitol Hill.
The Republican majority is trying to pass a stop-gap spending measure that sustains President Donald Trump’s mass firings of public servants, maintains his freeze on nearly half a trillion dollars meant for our communities, and keeps their cuts to everything from education to healthcare, food assistance, student loans, and even cancer research.
Some lawmakers want to stop this calamity from happening.
The Democrats have a counterproposal to fund the government that restores this healthcare funding, keeps costs under control for families already grappling with high costs of living, and prohibits illegally freezing appropriated funds. But with Republican majorities in the House and Senate, the Democrats’ proposal hasn’t been able to pass.
Nearly 80% of Americans—including most Trump supporters—agree with Alexis, telling pollsters they want lawmakers to restore those expiring ACA credits.
Unfortunately, President Trump is disingenuously claiming that Democrats aren’t agreeing to the massive healthcare cuts because they want to spend taxpayer dollars on undocumented immigrants instead.
This is untrue. Undocumented immigrants pay taxes but aren’t allowed to get government healthcare benefits. Period. The president and his allies are telling this lie in an effort to gut your healthcare.
Trump is also vowing to use the government shutdown as an opportunity to enact mass federal worker firings and to deny funds to states that voted against him. That means “blue states”—including plenty of red and purple communities inside them—are being denied funds for projects like building roads and bridges as a form of punishment.
Trump also instructed that the email signatures of government employees blame Democrats for the government shutdown. The administration has posted similar false and partisan messages on some executive branch agency websites.
Together, these measures may violate at least four federal laws against misappropriating or freezing federal funds, or spending them on partisan activity—including the Anti-Deficiency Act, the Hatch Act, the Anti-Lobbying Act, and the Impoundment Control Act.
Meanwhile, families like Alexis’s are scared and struggling, wondering how they will be able to care for their families when their health coverage vanishes or becomes unaffordable.
The 80% of us who object to defunding our families and communities just so the rich can get richer need to make our voices heard. The sooner we do, the sooner the government can reopen and our families can receive the care and services we need.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
This column was distributed by OtherWords.
Karen Dolan
Karen Dolan is a fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies and directs the Criminalization of Poverty project there. She is author of "The Poor Get Prison: The Alarming Spread of the Criminalization of Poverty."
affordable care actdemocratic partyhealthcareone big beautiful bill actrepublican partygovernment shutdown
Healthcare access in this country is in grave danger —and your wallet could be, too. Those facts are key to understanding the latest government shutdown.
“My kids have healthcare through Medicaid—which is especially important for my daughter with autism,” Alexis Cortes, a mom of four, told me. But “the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ calls for massive cuts to Medicaid, food assistance, and early childhood education programs,” she warns.
Also at issue are the 24 million Americans who benefit from the soon-to-expire tax credits that help them afford their health coverage on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace. When Republicans passed their tax cuts for billionaires and corporations in this summer’s so-called One Big Beautiful Bill, they intentionally left out renewing this credit that helps regular people afford healthcare.
As a result, according to KFF Health, not only could the 24 million ACA users see a doubling of their premium costs, but most Americans could see their premiums rise if this tax credit isn’t renewed.
The 80% of us who object to defunding our families and communities just so the rich can get richer need to make our voices heard.
Coupled with the over $1 trillion that the GOP bill gutted from Medicaid in order to fund those massive tax giveaways to billionaires, Americans are about to experience significant reductions in their access to health coverage, long-term care, nursing home care, and hospital care, especially in rural areas.
This is what’s at stake with the current government shutdown on Capitol Hill.
The Republican majority is trying to pass a stop-gap spending measure that sustains President Donald Trump’s mass firings of public servants, maintains his freeze on nearly half a trillion dollars meant for our communities, and keeps their cuts to everything from education to healthcare, food assistance, student loans, and even cancer research.
Some lawmakers want to stop this calamity from happening.
The Democrats have a counterproposal to fund the government that restores this healthcare funding, keeps costs under control for families already grappling with high costs of living, and prohibits illegally freezing appropriated funds. But with Republican majorities in the House and Senate, the Democrats’ proposal hasn’t been able to pass.
Nearly 80% of Americans—including most Trump supporters—agree with Alexis, telling pollsters they want lawmakers to restore those expiring ACA credits.
Unfortunately, President Trump is disingenuously claiming that Democrats aren’t agreeing to the massive healthcare cuts because they want to spend taxpayer dollars on undocumented immigrants instead.
This is untrue. Undocumented immigrants pay taxes but aren’t allowed to get government healthcare benefits. Period. The president and his allies are telling this lie in an effort to gut your healthcare.
Trump is also vowing to use the government shutdown as an opportunity to enact mass federal worker firings and to deny funds to states that voted against him. That means “blue states”—including plenty of red and purple communities inside them—are being denied funds for projects like building roads and bridges as a form of punishment.
Trump also instructed that the email signatures of government employees blame Democrats for the government shutdown. The administration has posted similar false and partisan messages on some executive branch agency websites.
Together, these measures may violate at least four federal laws against misappropriating or freezing federal funds, or spending them on partisan activity—including the Anti-Deficiency Act, the Hatch Act, the Anti-Lobbying Act, and the Impoundment Control Act.
Meanwhile, families like Alexis’s are scared and struggling, wondering how they will be able to care for their families when their health coverage vanishes or becomes unaffordable.
The 80% of us who object to defunding our families and communities just so the rich can get richer need to make our voices heard. The sooner we do, the sooner the government can reopen and our families can receive the care and services we need.
From Your Site Articles
- Trump Cancels Government Shutdown Talks in Ludicrous and Lie-Filled Rant Against 'Radical Left' ›
- GOP Pushes ‘Big... Brazen’ Lie About Immigrants to Justify Ripping Healthcare Away From Millions ›
- Dems Say They'll Stand Firm Against Budget Deal Unless GOP Halts Attack on Healthcare ›
- Warren Raises Alarm Over GOP-Caused Healthcare Crisis That Threatens Government Shutdown ›
- Progressives Organize 'Shutdown Showdown' to Defend Healthcare From Trump and GOP ›
- 'This Moment Is a Test,' Says Ocasio-Cortez as Government Shutdown Begins ›
Karen Dolan
Karen Dolan is a fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies and directs the Criminalization of Poverty project there. She is author of "The Poor Get Prison: The Alarming Spread of the Criminalization of Poverty."
Healthcare access in this country is in grave danger —and your wallet could be, too. Those facts are key to understanding the latest government shutdown.
“My kids have healthcare through Medicaid—which is especially important for my daughter with autism,” Alexis Cortes, a mom of four, told me. But “the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ calls for massive cuts to Medicaid, food assistance, and early childhood education programs,” she warns.
Also at issue are the 24 million Americans who benefit from the soon-to-expire tax credits that help them afford their health coverage on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace. When Republicans passed their tax cuts for billionaires and corporations in this summer’s so-called One Big Beautiful Bill, they intentionally left out renewing this credit that helps regular people afford healthcare.
As a result, according to KFF Health, not only could the 24 million ACA users see a doubling of their premium costs, but most Americans could see their premiums rise if this tax credit isn’t renewed.
The 80% of us who object to defunding our families and communities just so the rich can get richer need to make our voices heard.
Coupled with the over $1 trillion that the GOP bill gutted from Medicaid in order to fund those massive tax giveaways to billionaires, Americans are about to experience significant reductions in their access to health coverage, long-term care, nursing home care, and hospital care, especially in rural areas.
This is what’s at stake with the current government shutdown on Capitol Hill.
The Republican majority is trying to pass a stop-gap spending measure that sustains President Donald Trump’s mass firings of public servants, maintains his freeze on nearly half a trillion dollars meant for our communities, and keeps their cuts to everything from education to healthcare, food assistance, student loans, and even cancer research.
Some lawmakers want to stop this calamity from happening.
The Democrats have a counterproposal to fund the government that restores this healthcare funding, keeps costs under control for families already grappling with high costs of living, and prohibits illegally freezing appropriated funds. But with Republican majorities in the House and Senate, the Democrats’ proposal hasn’t been able to pass.
Nearly 80% of Americans—including most Trump supporters—agree with Alexis, telling pollsters they want lawmakers to restore those expiring ACA credits.
Unfortunately, President Trump is disingenuously claiming that Democrats aren’t agreeing to the massive healthcare cuts because they want to spend taxpayer dollars on undocumented immigrants instead.
This is untrue. Undocumented immigrants pay taxes but aren’t allowed to get government healthcare benefits. Period. The president and his allies are telling this lie in an effort to gut your healthcare.
Trump is also vowing to use the government shutdown as an opportunity to enact mass federal worker firings and to deny funds to states that voted against him. That means “blue states”—including plenty of red and purple communities inside them—are being denied funds for projects like building roads and bridges as a form of punishment.
Trump also instructed that the email signatures of government employees blame Democrats for the government shutdown. The administration has posted similar false and partisan messages on some executive branch agency websites.
Together, these measures may violate at least four federal laws against misappropriating or freezing federal funds, or spending them on partisan activity—including the Anti-Deficiency Act, the Hatch Act, the Anti-Lobbying Act, and the Impoundment Control Act.
Meanwhile, families like Alexis’s are scared and struggling, wondering how they will be able to care for their families when their health coverage vanishes or becomes unaffordable.
The 80% of us who object to defunding our families and communities just so the rich can get richer need to make our voices heard. The sooner we do, the sooner the government can reopen and our families can receive the care and services we need.
From Your Site Articles
- Trump Cancels Government Shutdown Talks in Ludicrous and Lie-Filled Rant Against 'Radical Left' ›
- GOP Pushes ‘Big... Brazen’ Lie About Immigrants to Justify Ripping Healthcare Away From Millions ›
- Dems Say They'll Stand Firm Against Budget Deal Unless GOP Halts Attack on Healthcare ›
- Warren Raises Alarm Over GOP-Caused Healthcare Crisis That Threatens Government Shutdown ›
- Progressives Organize 'Shutdown Showdown' to Defend Healthcare From Trump and GOP ›
- 'This Moment Is a Test,' Says Ocasio-Cortez as Government Shutdown Begins ›
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