clovenhooves The Personal Is Political General Discussion Government shutdown as Democrats want extended healthcare subsidies: what are your thoughts?

Discussion Government shutdown as Democrats want extended healthcare subsidies: what are your thoughts?

Discussion Government shutdown as Democrats want extended healthcare subsidies: what are your thoughts?

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Oct 2 2025, 10:30 AM
#1
HUD website blames looming shutdown on ‘Radical Left’ “The Far Left is barreling our country toward a shut down, which will hurt all Americans. At HUD, we are working to keep critical services online and support our most vulnerable. Why is the media more focused on a banner than reporting on the impact of a shutdown on the American people?” HUD spokesman Matthew Maley wrote in response to questions from Federal News Network.

The messaging comes as House and Senate Democratic leadership say they won’t budge unless Republicans agree to extend healthcare subsidies set to expire at the end of this year. The White House and Republican leaders are pushing for a “clean” seven-week continuing resolution.

From https://federalnewsnetwork.com/government-shutdown/2025/09/hud-website-blames-looming-shutdown-on-radical-left/?readmore=1

Regarding this government shutdown, my primary dislike is seeing how the Trump administration continues to put accelerant on the dumpster fire that is the political polarization of the United States.

Whether or not I support the shutdown, I don't know. At this point I'm too tired to care. The Trump administration will continue destroying democracy whether there is a government shutdown or not.

I'm more interested in what people's thoughts are on the specific reason Democrats are doing the shutdown: extending the healthcare subsidies.

I saw a post yesterday on Reddit where somebody was stressing out because their premiums were going to jump to $400 a month due to the healthcare subsidies being cut by the budget. I'm sure there are many more posts like this out there, which gives the Democrats some leverage. People are going to be pissed if their already expensive healthcare costs go up.

However, I feel like if we take a step back, doesn't this just show how inefficient and overpriced our useless for-profit healthcare system is? So from my understanding, since the ACA was enacted, we have been subsidizing health insurance plans for people? So our tax dollars are going towards funding private for profit healthcare plans? (Please correct me if I'm wrong, I need to look this up more when I get home.)

I feel conflicted, because I want every United States citizen to have health care, but I absolutely abhor this private for profit health insurance system that we have. Continuing to subsidize it doesn't seem like a big win to me... At the same time, obviously understand that if it's not subsidized, people's lives are immediately going to get worse. This sucks.
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Oct 2 2025, 10:30 AM #1

HUD website blames looming shutdown on ‘Radical Left’ “The Far Left is barreling our country toward a shut down, which will hurt all Americans. At HUD, we are working to keep critical services online and support our most vulnerable. Why is the media more focused on a banner than reporting on the impact of a shutdown on the American people?” HUD spokesman Matthew Maley wrote in response to questions from Federal News Network.

The messaging comes as House and Senate Democratic leadership say they won’t budge unless Republicans agree to extend healthcare subsidies set to expire at the end of this year. The White House and Republican leaders are pushing for a “clean” seven-week continuing resolution.

From https://federalnewsnetwork.com/government-shutdown/2025/09/hud-website-blames-looming-shutdown-on-radical-left/?readmore=1

Regarding this government shutdown, my primary dislike is seeing how the Trump administration continues to put accelerant on the dumpster fire that is the political polarization of the United States.

Whether or not I support the shutdown, I don't know. At this point I'm too tired to care. The Trump administration will continue destroying democracy whether there is a government shutdown or not.

I'm more interested in what people's thoughts are on the specific reason Democrats are doing the shutdown: extending the healthcare subsidies.

I saw a post yesterday on Reddit where somebody was stressing out because their premiums were going to jump to $400 a month due to the healthcare subsidies being cut by the budget. I'm sure there are many more posts like this out there, which gives the Democrats some leverage. People are going to be pissed if their already expensive healthcare costs go up.

However, I feel like if we take a step back, doesn't this just show how inefficient and overpriced our useless for-profit healthcare system is? So from my understanding, since the ACA was enacted, we have been subsidizing health insurance plans for people? So our tax dollars are going towards funding private for profit healthcare plans? (Please correct me if I'm wrong, I need to look this up more when I get home.)

I feel conflicted, because I want every United States citizen to have health care, but I absolutely abhor this private for profit health insurance system that we have. Continuing to subsidize it doesn't seem like a big win to me... At the same time, obviously understand that if it's not subsidized, people's lives are immediately going to get worse. This sucks.

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Elsacat
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Oct 3 2025, 7:35 AM
#2
https://www.npr.org/2025/10/02/nx-s1-5559810/shutdown-aca-health-care-premium-subsidies

Quote:"That premium support program doesn't even expire until next year. So why are you shutting down the government on Oct. 1 because of a program that doesn't even expire for another few months?" Vice President Vance said on Fox News on Wednesday.

Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., says that actually, it is an urgent issue. As she explained in a press conference Wednesday, open enrollment for ACA plans starts Nov. 1.

"Later is too late," she said. "The new higher health care rates, those are being set right now. Notifications to families — they're in the mail now. Open enrollment is weeks away and families are panicking."

You can tell who actually pays attention to how things work for the average American, and who's remote from that and not interested in learning. I think that's part of the reason for the shutdown. Those who get that the average American will struggle with increased premiums, and those who don't know/don't want to learn or they know and don't care because it doesn't affect them.
Edited Oct 3 2025, 7:39 AM by Elsacat.
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Elsacat
Oct 3 2025, 7:35 AM #2

https://www.npr.org/2025/10/02/nx-s1-5559810/shutdown-aca-health-care-premium-subsidies

Quote:"That premium support program doesn't even expire until next year. So why are you shutting down the government on Oct. 1 because of a program that doesn't even expire for another few months?" Vice President Vance said on Fox News on Wednesday.

Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., says that actually, it is an urgent issue. As she explained in a press conference Wednesday, open enrollment for ACA plans starts Nov. 1.

"Later is too late," she said. "The new higher health care rates, those are being set right now. Notifications to families — they're in the mail now. Open enrollment is weeks away and families are panicking."

You can tell who actually pays attention to how things work for the average American, and who's remote from that and not interested in learning. I think that's part of the reason for the shutdown. Those who get that the average American will struggle with increased premiums, and those who don't know/don't want to learn or they know and don't care because it doesn't affect them.

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eyeswideopen
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Oct 3 2025, 12:44 PM
#3
My premiums (one 52-yo female with no health problems, except for perimenopause/menopause symptoms that my Kaiser docs refuse to prescribe MHT for because most PCPs there know very little about menopause) are going to more than double ($640 a month to more than $1300/month). That makes even the basic care I get unaffordable for me. So I 100% support the Dems in this shutdown - even if health care costs weren't an issue, Trump is breaking the law every single day with his crackdown on immigrants and legal attacks on people he perceives to be his political enemies.

Note: the GOP controls every single branch of the Federal government (presidency, both chambers of Congress, SCOTUS) and could easily pass a budget bill/continuing resolution just relying on their own party member votes. But they can't because of the filibuster rule in the Senate. They could vote to suspend the filibuster rule, but they want Dems to be complicit in voting for this continuous funding bill and thus allowing the GOP to say that Dems "signed on" to the budget cuts for ACA premiums and Medicaid cuts when voters see their new health care premiums and start getting angry. Midterms are in 13 months and the GOP needs that lie that the cuts were "bipartisan" to have any chance of retaining control of either chamber of Congress next year. If you want more background on how the Dems are able to block the continuing resolution, please see this link:

https://govfacts.org/analysis/government-shutdown-2025-why-congress-cant-compromise-on-funding-and-healthcare/

My feeling is that the GOP will end up getting rid of the filibuster so they can pass a "clean" budgeting resolution. They cannot roll back the ACA changes and Medicaid cuts because their garbage dump of a BBB was funded that way and their rich donors will be furious if the tax cuts they were promised end up evaporating. This will put even more pressure on Trump and the GOP to fuck with the midterm elections next year (my guess is by making blue state and blue city voters afraid to vote by stationing national guard/DHS at polling stations to harass and intimidate voters), because the thing most dangerous to Trump will be having a Congress that will actually conduct oversight on his administration and one that will not rubberstamp everything he or his toadies do. Especially when it comes to refusing to spend funds that Congress has appropriated (this is called "impoundment" and is illegal - it was how they were able to destroy USAID and decimate the funding at NIH).
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eyeswideopen
Oct 3 2025, 12:44 PM #3

My premiums (one 52-yo female with no health problems, except for perimenopause/menopause symptoms that my Kaiser docs refuse to prescribe MHT for because most PCPs there know very little about menopause) are going to more than double ($640 a month to more than $1300/month). That makes even the basic care I get unaffordable for me. So I 100% support the Dems in this shutdown - even if health care costs weren't an issue, Trump is breaking the law every single day with his crackdown on immigrants and legal attacks on people he perceives to be his political enemies.

Note: the GOP controls every single branch of the Federal government (presidency, both chambers of Congress, SCOTUS) and could easily pass a budget bill/continuing resolution just relying on their own party member votes. But they can't because of the filibuster rule in the Senate. They could vote to suspend the filibuster rule, but they want Dems to be complicit in voting for this continuous funding bill and thus allowing the GOP to say that Dems "signed on" to the budget cuts for ACA premiums and Medicaid cuts when voters see their new health care premiums and start getting angry. Midterms are in 13 months and the GOP needs that lie that the cuts were "bipartisan" to have any chance of retaining control of either chamber of Congress next year. If you want more background on how the Dems are able to block the continuing resolution, please see this link:

https://govfacts.org/analysis/government-shutdown-2025-why-congress-cant-compromise-on-funding-and-healthcare/

My feeling is that the GOP will end up getting rid of the filibuster so they can pass a "clean" budgeting resolution. They cannot roll back the ACA changes and Medicaid cuts because their garbage dump of a BBB was funded that way and their rich donors will be furious if the tax cuts they were promised end up evaporating. This will put even more pressure on Trump and the GOP to fuck with the midterm elections next year (my guess is by making blue state and blue city voters afraid to vote by stationing national guard/DHS at polling stations to harass and intimidate voters), because the thing most dangerous to Trump will be having a Congress that will actually conduct oversight on his administration and one that will not rubberstamp everything he or his toadies do. Especially when it comes to refusing to spend funds that Congress has appropriated (this is called "impoundment" and is illegal - it was how they were able to destroy USAID and decimate the funding at NIH).

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