national.

A legislative package that could end the weekslong government shutdown leaves out any clear resolution on the expiring Affordable Care Act tax credits that have made private health insurance less costly for millions. The deal agreed to by Senate Republicans and a handful of Democrats on Sunday instead only guarantees a December vote on the enhanced premium tax credits. If the subsidies run out, it will more than double what subsidized enrollees currently pay for premiums next year, according to the health care research nonprofit KFF. But Congress may still extend the subsidies or come up with alternatives. For example, some Republican lawmakers have suggested scrapping the subsidies and instead giving Americans flexible spending accounts to defray their health costs.