OLYMPIA, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – The issue at the heart of the ongoing government shutdown could impact thousands of Washington residents if it continues to drag on.

Washington Health Benefit Exchange CEO Ingrid Ulrey says nearly 217,000 Washingtonians use Affordable Care Act tax credits to afford health care coverage.

“This year, these tax credits help nearly 217,000 Washingtonians afford the coverage they need for themselves and their families. If the enhanced level of these tax credits is allowed to expire, it will be people in our most rural counties, those who run small businesses or who are self-employed and older adults who are not yet eligible for Medicare who will face the steepest premium increases,” Ulrey said. 

The premium tax credits help lower the cost of health insurance for low- and middle-class households.

But those credits are set to expire at the end of 2025 and Democratic lawmakers are insisting that Republicans agree to make a funding deal to extend the credits.

If the tax credits expire, Ulrey projects that would result in significant premium increases that could force roughly 80,000 Washington residents to drop their coverage altogether.

Even before they expire at the end of the year, Ulrey says premiums will continue to rise until Congress finds a solution.

Open enrollment for 2026 begins on Nov. 1 through the Washington Healthplanfinder.