by Jennifer Porter Gore

When open enrollment for 2026 Affordable Care Act insurance plans began over the weekend, Congress still hadn’t decided whether to extend the premium tax credits President Joe Biden introduced in 2021. Those credits expire Dec. 31.

The GOP’s budget proposal — the “One Big, Beautiful Bill Act,” passed in July — extends Trump-era tax breaks for the wealthy but lets the ACA subsidies lapse. That fight with Democrats has fueled the ongoing federal government shutdown.

Now, roughly 24 million Americans — including about 3 million Black Americans — who rely on ACA coverage are seeing their projected premiums soar. Many will pay twice as much as they did last year, and some could see their costs triple.

Community clinics, federally qualified health centers, and Medicai

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