The longest federal government shutdown in history is over, but for Floridians, a healthcare crisis could now be beginning.
Why it matters: Hundreds of thousands of Tampa Bay residents rely on expiring Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies to afford health care, and without them, average premiums could spike by 88%.
- The subsidies expire on Jan. 1, 2026, and that loss will have an outsized impact on the Sunshine State, where 4.7 million people are enrolled in the federal marketplace, according to KFF.
Driving the news: Congressional Democrats fought to include an extension of ACA subsidies in a deal to fund the government, but conceded without…..