স্বাস্থ্যসেবা ভর্তুকি নিয়ে বিতর্ক অব্যাহত রয়েছে
As the federal government shutdown continues with no end in sight, the debate over extending federal health insurance subsidies remains a key sticking point in the impasse. Democrats in the U.S. Senate are conditioning their votes to reopen the government on expanding tax credits for the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare. Republicans are unwilling to negotiate until the shutdown ends, with some calling for broader healthcare reforms instead of simply extending the subsidies. Democratic state lawmakers underscored this issue at a press conference last week at the Minnesota Capitol, joined by union representatives and others affected by healthcare costs. Lisa Lynch, a single mother from Minneapolis who was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer last January, was among the speakers. Lynch stated that she relies on Medicaid, MinnesotaCare, and other public insurance programs for life-saving treatment. “Health care to me is not a partisan issue, it’s a human issue,” Lynch said. “I am asking our elected officials to end the shutdown and to restore funding for Medicaid and the ACA, because nobody fighting for their life should also have to fight for their coverage.” Lisa Lynch (right), who was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer last January, speaks at a press conference last week at the Minnesota Capitol. Grace Proxxmarr | MPR News. Becky Cook, who uses MNsure for her health coverage, said she relies on daily medication to treat a sudden-onset swelling condition, including her tongue and throat, that costs up to $46,000 a month. Next year, for the same plan, her premium would increase by approximately $5,000 a year, she said. Calling the Republicans’ position “unconscionable,” Cook said, “There were times that I didn’t take rescue medicine because it cost me less to go to the emergency room than it cost me to buy rescue medicine.” DFL state legislators, including Edina doctor Sen. Alice Mann, cautioned that roughly 200,000 Minnesotans are at risk of losing their health coverage if the benefits – which are set to expire at the end of the year – are not extended. “Here we are begging the very government for healthcare that just gave Argentina a $20 billion bailout, and from the government that’s remodeling the White House and adding a ballroom,” she said. Party leaders did not explain how they would deal with the expiring tax breaks, insisting they will not discuss the matter until Democrats agree to end the shutdown. House Speaker Mike Johnson said at a news conference Monday that the tax breaks “incentivize bad policy.” Republicans have “a long list of ideas” to address healthcare costs, he said, and they are “taking the best of our ideas over the years to put on paper and to get them implemented.” “We believe in the private sector, free market and private healthcare provider,” Johnson added. The Associated Press reports that a September analysis by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated that permanently extending the tax credits would increase the deficit by $350 billion between 2026 and 2035. The number of people with health insurance would increase by 3.8 million in 2026 if the credits were maintained, the analysis added.
প্রকাশিত: 2025-10-28 06:01:00
উৎস: www.mprnews.org
