The Government Shutdown is Hurting Public Health

The Left has shut down the government for a record number of 36 days with no end in sight. The Senate requires 60 votes to continue funding the government, meaning that five additional votes are needed to do so. However, they have voted 14 times now to keep it shut down as they hold out to extend temporary Obamacare enhanced subsidies. They claim this is to protect Americans from rising premium costs, but this policy will not reap the benefits they are selling, and they are hurting Americans much more in the process. 

President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan in 2021, which passed $1.9 trillion in stimulus funds to help the country recover from the economic effects of the pandemic. It included a significant expansion of premium tax credits under the Affordable Care Act, increasing federal payments to insurers to stabilize the cost of healthcare monthly premiums. The Left promised they were temporary, but now that they are set to expire at the end of the year, they are refusing to open the government unless the subsidies become permanent. 

The Kaiser Family Foundation estimated that premiums could increase by hundreds or thousands of dollars if the enhanced subsidies expire, which the Left is using to back up their charade. The truth is that premiums will rise whether the subsidies are extended or not, and it has little to do with the expiring tax credits. The Paragon Health Institute analyzed data from the 2026 rate filings by the insurance companies and found that the expiring tax credits only accounted for 3.3% of the total estimated premium increase. These subsidies are just obscuring the real issue that Obamacare has made health care unaffordable, and making taxpayers keep the failing system afloat. 

By keeping the government closed, we are seeing the big ways that the American people are suffering. There are about 670,000 federal workers who are furloughed, and another 730,000 who are working without pay. Benefits for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) have now been delayed for the 42 million Americans who rely on this program to buy groceries. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced that there will be a 10% reduction of flights at 40 major airports, worsening the delays we have already been seeing. 

But there are many more disruptions not part of the main discussion or won’t be immediately felt, but which are just as important to be aware of when weighing the cost of this shutdown. For example, the Bureau of Labor Statistics is not able to release data like the monthly jobs report, one of the most important data sources that the Federal Reserve uses when making monetary policy, which was delayed in October.  

Ironically, many of these disruptions are impacting public health data and research as the Left claim to be fighting for Americans’ health care. One of the most concerning issues is the lapse of Medicare telehealth flexibilities. About 25% of Medicare beneficiaries used telehealth services in 2024, but doctors may not offer those services or risk losing reimbursements the longer the shutdown lasts. 

As we enter peak cold and flu season, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has not been able to update dashboards tracking the outbreak of illnesses like the flu, RSV, and COVID. This means they can’t issue warnings if there is a rise, and hospitals may not be able to prepare proactively for a spike in care demand. 

According to the Department of Health and Human Services, mental and behavioral health functions have also been disrupted. The 988 suicide hotline, which helps seven million Americans each year, is at risk of running out of funds. There may be delays in opening Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics that have been developed in 15 states and were supposed to open in early 2026. They have also not been able to update data that tracks trends in mental health and drug use. 

The National Institutes of Health, the primary agency for public health research, has also had to suspend many functions. Institutions currently receiving funding have been able to keep drawing funds, although certain transactions may be blocked. They cannot review new grant applications until their operations resume, and peer and Advisory Council reviews have been suspended until they can be rescheduled. 

These examples are just the tip of the iceberg. The longer the Left holds the government hostage over a failed healthcare policy, the more Americans will suffer even once the government reopens. Their refusal to reopen the government unless temporary Obamacare subsidies become permanent is not a defense of public health, but a deflection from the deeper crisis they helped create. The long-term risks are compounding each day the shutdown continues, and Americans deserve leaders who do not leverage our well-being for political gain.