One of the central issues at the heart of the ongoing government shutdown is whether to extend the current Affordable Care Act enhanced subsidies, which are set to expire at the end of the year. What Congress decides to do about the tax credits could be crucial to any deal to reopen the government.
Democrats say they will not vote for any bill that does not include extending the subsidies, which they argue could more than double premiums for plans purchased under the ACA.
Federal workers in Georgia are already feeling the impact of the shutdown. An employee with the Department of Health and Human Services in Atlanta told Channel 2’s Eryn Rogers they are being forced to work without pay until lawmakers reach an agreement. The employee said their department is about 80% furloughed and 20% exempt, or working without pay.
“I’ve been in government now for about 20 years, and I’ve never had this feeling before, never. It’s unnerving,” the employee said. “It’s safety with a wink. It’s almost like you’re on a conveyer belt just waiting your turn.”
The worker, who asked not to be identified out of fear of retribution, said the financial uncertainty is weighing heavily on them.
“I’m also the American people. I want to feel secure,” they said. “And not knowing what that means for my son, who I pay private school for.”
The Department of Health and Human Services has been at the center of the funding dispute because of the fight over ACA subsidies.
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The uncertainty is also affecting small business owners in Georgia. Teresa Acosta, who ran a catering company called Renzo’s Fire for five years, said she made the difficult decision to close her business and seek full-time work with benefits.
“I’m somewhat risk adverse, and I saw what was coming down the pipeline,” Acosta said. “I get emotional when I talk about it. That was something I built with a lot of blood, sweat, and tears, and it’s something I was passionate about, and I loved it.”
Acosta said her son has Type 1 diabetes, and she could not risk losing access to affordable coverage or seeing premiums possibly double.
“It wasn’t worth risking his health to keep my business open, so I made that decision,” she said.
Now, the catering company she built is in boxes in her basement.
“Trying to punt this issue further down the line isn’t going to help anyone, and in the long term, not having those subsidies extended is going to hurt millions of people,” Acosta said.
According to health officials, about 3.5 million Georgians use the ACA, and between 500,000 and 700,000 people could be directly affected if insurance companies pull out of the market. So far, around 30 percent of insurance companies are predicting decreased enrollment, and some are making the decision to pull out of states already. Acosta said if subsidies are extended, she would consider bringing her catering business back parttime.
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