DES MOINES, Iowa —

The federal government has been shut down for weeks, and a big part of the fight in Washington is over health care.

At the center of the standoff is a debate over enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies that help lower monthly insurance costs for people who get their coverage from the marketplace. The enhanced subsidies are set to expire at the end of the year.

Democrats want Republicans to extend the expiring healthcare subsidies before reopening the government. Republicans say they'll only negotiate after the government reopens.

The Affordable Care Act, or ACA, helps make health insurance more affordable for people who don’t get coverage through their job, Medicaid or Medicare. That includes self-employed people like farmers, freelancers and independent contractors

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