(FOX 9) - On day seven of the government shutdown , one of the most contentious debates in Washington could have lasting consequences for millions of Americans: whether to renew expiring health insurance subsidies.

Shutdown healthcare subsidies

What we know:

The disagreement centers on subsidies that help people who don’t receive health insurance through their job or a government program.

Instead, these individuals purchase coverage through healthcare marketplaces.

"This gets at the very heart of a philosophical or political dispute between Democrats and Republicans in the United States and whether or not the government has a role in providing subsidies for healthcare," Hamline University David Schultz told FOX 9 on Tuesday.

Although Republican lawmakers have pushed to let the su

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