The cost of healthcare remains in limbo for roughly 22 million Americans after the U.S. government reopened late Wednesday without a deal to extend an expiring federal tax credit that offsets the cost of some Affordable Care Act plans. The fate of the enhanced premium tax credit had been at the center of the longest government shutdown in U.S. history as Democrats pushed Republicans to extend the subsidy in order to reopen the government. Without any action on Congress's part, the enhanced premium tax credits, which were introduced in 2021 through the American Rescue Plan Act, will disappear at the end of 2025. That means low- and middle-income households that previously qualified for the tax credits would likely see their ACA premiums more than double next year, rising from an average of $888 in 2025 to $1,904 in 2026.
In a social media landscape shaped by hashtags, algorithms, and viral posts, nurse leaders must decide: Will they let the narrative spiral, or can they adapt and join the conversation?
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