Poll backs extending ACA subsidies amid shutdown tensions

A large majority of Americans want Congress to extend enhanced tax credits that help make Affordable Care Act marketplace plans more affordable, a new national poll found, a demand that has become central to a funding dispute that triggered a federal government shutdown on Oct. 1. The KFF Health Tracking Poll, conducted Sept. 23 through 29 among 1,334 adults, found 78 percent of respondents favor extending the subsidies, which are scheduled to expire at year end.

Support for an extension cut across party lines, the survey found, with majorities of Democrats, independents and a slimmer majority of Republicans and self-described supporters of former President Donald Trump backing the move. The poll also found low public awareness of the looming expiration: about six in 10 people who buy their own coverage said they had heard little or nothing about the tax credits ending. The margin of sampling error for the full sample is plus or minus three percentage points.

KFF and other analysts warn that if the enhanced credits are not renewed before the 2026 open enrollment period, average monthly premiums for people receiving marketplace financial assistance could more than double. KFF’s...