2025-10-11
47 分钟The Economist If you visit the Medicare or Medicaid websites right now,
you're greeted with messages at the top that say,
due to the government shutdown, updates to information may be limited or delayed.
Benefits will continue.
But if you visit the site of the Centre for Medicare and Medicaid Services,
there's a different message it reads.
Mission-critical activities of CMS will continue during the Democrat-led government shutdown.
Please use this site as a resource as the Trump administration works to reopen the government for the American people.
There's little sign yet when that may happen.
Senate Democrats appear united and still say they won't vote to reopen the government until Republicans agree to expand healthcare tax credits that are set to expire,
meaning several million people will lose health insurance.
On the other side, Week into the shutdown,
some Republicans are worrying about what that would mean for their political prospects.
I'm John Priddo, and this is Checks and Balance from The Economist.
Each week, we take one big theme shaping American politics and explore it in depth.
Today, the healthcare subsidies at the heart of the government shutdown.
Enrollment in the Affordable Care Act has more than doubled
since 2021 when Congress made tax credits to buy insurance available to more Americans.
Most of them live in Republican areas.
President Trump has said he wants to cut a deal only to walk it back.