WEEKLY UPDATE: 09/18/25
On Tuesday, September 16, Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives unveiled legislation to fund the government through November 21, averting a shutdown and preserving policy changes ahead of the September 30 deadline. The short-term continuing resolution released by the House Appropriations Committee would extend pandemic-era Medicare telehealth flexibilities, the Acute Hospital Care at Home initiative, and funding extensions for the low-volume and Medicare-dependent hospital programs. The spending package also delays scheduled cuts to Medicaid disproportionate share hospital (DSH) payments. It does not address the looming end-of-year expiration of enhanced premium tax credits for plans purchased through state-based Affordable Care Act (ACA) insurance exchanges, including Access Health CT.
Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont and governors from 17 other states are calling on congressional leaders to preserve the federal health insurance subsidies. The governors penned a letter to U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, urging the lawmakers to keep marketplace coverage affordable with the help of enhanced premium tax credits.
“For millions of hard-working Americans, these subsidies are the only reason health insurance is still within reach in a country where the cost of living keeps going up,” the governors wrote. “If Congress acts quickly, states can lock in lower premiums and spare families a wave of sticker shock this fall. If not, the damage will be felt for years.”
Access Health CT projects another 30-35% of its 150,000 insured will lose coverage by 2034 if Congress fails to renew the subsidies before the new year. If marketplace plan costs increase dramatically in 2026, enrollees will struggle to afford — and may therefore decide to forgo — coverage. Connecticut hospitals have encouraged the state’s congressional delegation to prioritize the extension of the enhanced tax credits and continue to engage state officials and lawmakers on potential strategies to mitigate the impacts of federal policy changes on health insurance enrollment, patient access to care in their communities, and overall healthcare affordability.
House Republican leaders aim to vote on the resolution by Friday, September 19. If passed, the stopgap funding bill will move to the Senate next week.
