Trump Administration Will Continue To Fund Obamacare: Report

WASHINGTON, DC — The White House has agreed to fund Obamacare's cost-sharing subsidies, conceding on a point of disagreement that may have triggered a government shutdown on Friday, according to a report from Politico.

Cost-sharing subsidies help Obamacare enrollees cover out-of-pocket payments associated with their health care, including deductibles, coinsurance and copayments for low-income people. By subsidizing these costs, the government makes health care more affordable for many who would otherwise struggle to pay. In the negotiations over a bill to continue funding the government, the White House initially indicated that it may use funding the subsidies as leverage to extract concessions from Democrats, raising the possibility of a negotiations failure and a government shutdown.

Citing congressional sources, Politico reports that this negotiating move had been taken off the table. However, it's not clear how long the Trump administration will pay the subsidies. Since the Freedom Caucus announced earlier on Wednesday that a majority of its members will support an amended version of the GOP alternative to Obamacare, the White House may feel it is giving very little away by agreeing to fund the subsidies for now.

Read the full report at Politico.

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