Much of the federal government has been closed for business since last week. 

A poll released last week indicates that many Americans are just tuning into a big part of what the fight’s about. But as they are, a huge majority believe insurance subsidies should be extended — including for 427,000 Ohioans.

The government shut down on Oct. 1 as the Republican majority in Congress couldn’t get enough votes to fund the government for another seven weeks. Senate Democrats are demanding several concessions on health care before they’ll support it.

An important one is making permanent tax credits for health insurance purchased on the individual markets created by the Affordable Care Act. Created in 2021, last year they provided an average annual subsidy of $705.

As part of President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, Republicans this summer extended massive 2017 tax cuts that are heavily skewed in favor of the richest Americans.

But so far, they’ve been unwilling to consider extending the ACA tax credits, which are set to expire Dec. 31. Open enrollment begins Nov. 1, and health care experts are predicting that premiums will more than double for most of the 24 million Americans who buy insurance in the marketplaces. 

Already in Ohio, companies that offer products on the exchanges are requesting rate hikes as high as 40%.

Two days after the government shutdown, the health-analysis nonprofit KFF conducted a tracking poll regarding the insurance subsidies.

It found that most Americans were new to the issue, with 61% saying they knew only a little or nothing at all about it. 

But their preferences were clear when they were told what the fight was about: “As you may know, in 2021 Congress increased the financial help provided through tax credits available to some people with low and moderate incomes who purchase health insurance through the Affordable Care Act marketplace to help them afford their premiums.”

Asked if they thought Congress should extend the credits or let them expire, a whopping 78% said they wanted to see them extended. That includes 82% of independents, 59% of Republicans and 57% of self-identified MAGA supporters.

Bipartisan majorities also said they would be “very concerned” to learn that expiration of the subsidies might make insurance unaffordable, or cause 4 million people to lose coverage altogether, or would harm small-business employees and self-employed Americans. If the number of uninsured Americans increases, so will the burden of uncompensated care on already-stressed rural and safety-net hospitals.

As often happens, there can be a disconnect between the policies Americans want and whether they want to pay for them. 

Asked, “If Congress extends these enhanced tax credits, how concerned would you be if you heard that it would require significant federal spending that would be largely paid for by taxpayers?”

Sixty three percent said they would be very or somewhat concerned at that prospect.

This story is republished from the Ohio Capital Journal. View the original article.