By Amanda Seitz, KFF Health News

Hours into the federal government shutdown, Julio Fuentes stood steps from the U.S. Capitol to deliver an urgent message about the Hispanic voting bloc that helped the GOP sweep into power last year.

Those votes, he cautioned, are at risk if Congress doesn’t pass a law to preserve lower premiums on Affordable Care Act marketplace plans for the roughly 4.7 million people living in his home state of Florida who are enrolled in the coverage.

“Hispanic voters helped return Donald Trump to the White House,” said Fuentes, CEO of the Florida State Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, who called on Congress to reopen the government to work out a deal on the tax credits. “Republican leaders would do right by their constituents to keep coverage affordable, and they will

See Full Page