Take stock of shutdown’s harsh lessons | Editorial – Sun Sentinel

The longest government shutdown in U.S. history appears to be ending, but on dispiriting terms.

Having held out to protect affordable health insurance for millions of people, Senate Democrats splintered in response to the Republican leadership’s promise to hold a separate vote on that next month.

A fair compromise would have been to extend the expiring Obamacare subsidies for 60 days, in the same fashion as funding the rest of government. That would have covered the deadline to renew Obamacare marketplace policies.

But Democrats didn’t get that. There’s no guarantee how the December vote will come out in the Senate, or even if the House will honor that part of the deal. Faced with budget-busting premium increases averaging 75% and much higher for many, at least 4.2 million Americans are