There is a chance that a rare case — not a pandemic but a single occurrence of bipartisanship on a health care issue — could break out in the U.S. Congress before the end of the year.
Such cases are few and far between, but national press reports indicate that the Republican-controlled Congress, fearing the backlash in the 2026 midterm elections, is pondering extending the program that provides enhanced federal financial assistance to people purchasing health insurance policies through the Affordable Care Act exchanges.
If the enhanced subsidies expire at the end of 2025 as scheduled, it would create a substantial increase in cost for the millions of Americans who get their health insurance coverage through the marketplace exchange — a key component of former President Barack Obama’s Pat