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Oct. 2, 2025, 5:00 AM EDTBy Berkeley Lovelace Jr.Your Medicare, Medicaid or Affordable Care Act coverage won’t vanish during the government shutdown, but changes to some benefits and fewer government workers to help could still disrupt care for millions.At the heart of the shutdown fight is whether Republican leaders accept a demand from Democrats to extend Obamacare subsidies before they expire at the end of the year and premiums start skyrocketing. Democrats also sought to undo President Donald Trump’s Medicaid cuts, but the GOP has shown no interest.Fortunately for everyday people, core programs like Medicare and Medicaid will keep running because their funding is built into law. But a popular Medicare benefit — telehealth — has already ended for many, and so-called discretionary programs, such as Community Health Centers (CHCs), may be at risk unless Congress acts soon.More than 167 million people — roughly half the U.S. population, according to data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services — are covered by the programs.Here’s what the shutdown means for health care coverage:Medicare and telehealth One of the first casualties of the shutdown are telehealth services offered to people on Medicare. A pandemic-era rule that let Medicare patients see doctors from home — not just rural clinics — and expanded which providers were covered expired Tuesday, cutting off access to many homebound seniors. The service will remain expired unless Congress includes funding in a coming spending bill. That means telehealth coverage will revert to pre-pandemic rules, under which it was largely limited to people living in rural areas, said Alex Cottrill, a senior policy analyst at KFF, a nonpartisan health policy research group. The policy had a few exceptions, which allowed coverage for people on home dialysis or those who experienced strokes.More than 6.7 million older adults got care through telehealth services last year.Joseph Furtado, the president of the Arizona Association for Home Care, which advocates for telehealth, said he will continue to see patients for now, with the risk of not getting reimbursed if Congress decides not to extend funding. Other providers may not take that risk and turn patients away, he said.“Telehealth is not a convenience thing,” he said. “This is Grandma can’t get out of the house. This is Grandma just came home from the hospital and she can’t get out to see her doctor. You don’t want to go to the doctor when you come home, and it’s dangerous sometimes to do that.” In the near term, Medicare coverage more broadly will continue during the shutdown, meaning patients will be able to see their doctors and other health care providers — albeit most likely in person, Cottrill said. “Because Medicare is categorized as a mandatory program, its funding doesn’t require annual approval from Congress, and Medicare-covered services will still be available during the shutdown,” he said.Patients may have longer wait times when they call Medicare, Cottrill said, and providers might experience some delays in payments due to some agency workers’ being furloughed.MedicaidCoverage for people enrolled in Medicaid — which is jointly funded by states and the federal government — will also continue throughout the rest of this year and some of next year, according to CMS.In a statement on its website, CMS said it “will have sufficient funding for Medicaid to fund the first quarter of FY [fiscal year] 2026.”Art Caplan, the head of the Division of Medical Ethics at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City, said it’s very likely that the agency will get additional funding by then.It’s slim chances the shutdown “would last that long,” he said. Coverage for the Children’s Health Insurance Program — which provides health care coverage to children and pregnant women in families that earn too much money to qualify for Medicaid — will also remain. “CMS will maintain the staff necessary to make payments to eligible states for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP),” the agency said. Obamacare subsidiesPeople will still be able to get coverage through their ACA plans, too. But there could be consequences, Caplan said, if Congress decides not to extend the ACA enhanced subsidies in the coming bill, the sticking point for Democrats who want to see the subsidies continue.The enhanced subsidies were enacted in the 2021 American Rescue Plan, which made ACA plans affordable for many middle-class families. The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 extended the subsidies through 2025. Without the subsidies, out-of-pocket premiums could grow by as much as 114% next year, according to a KFF analysis.When ACA open enrollment begins Nov. 1, families could face sticker shock, Caplan said. And even if Congress restores the subsidies later in the year, some people may decide not to sign up, believing costs will stay high. “If they don’t do something in 30 days, people are going to see big jumps in their health insurance,” Caplan said.There could be a major political risk to Republicans and Trump if they don’t extend them, he added.“These are not people desperately poor. These are often people who are in the working class, who use the subsidy to get access to health care when it doesn’t come through their job,” he said. “I think they’ve been somewhat supportive of Trump and MAGA, and they will not be happy to see that jump.”Local health clinics The effects on public health will be “substantial” if the shutdown lasts several weeks, said Lawrence Gostin, director of the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University.“Many functions of CDC will be affected, such as disease surveillance and funding for states and local health departments,” Gostin said. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides support for tracking respiratory diseases, like Covid and the flu, and provides grants to states, including for chronic disease prevention and vaccine programs. Funding for federal qualified health centers has already expired with the shutdown. But the clinics are unlikely to be affected, at least for the time being, according to the National Association of Community Health Centers.Those centers “should not experience an immediate disruption in funding,” Amy Simmons, an NACHC spokeswoman, wrote in an email. Simmons said the group has been in contact with the Health Resources and Services Administration, where officials said there is enough money set aside “to maintain CHC operations and staffing while government services are paused.” The number of people seeking care at community health centers has reached its highest in decades, Simmons said, at up to 52 million.Emergency services such as those provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency may be reduced or delayed, Gostin said, as well as funds for ongoing and new biomedical research.“The longer the shutdown goes on, the greater the risks to public health,” he said. “The shutdown has lifesaving impacts on America’s most vulnerable citizens.”Berkeley Lovelace Jr.Berkeley Lovelace Jr. is a health and medical reporter for NBC News. He covers the Food and Drug Administration, with a special focus on Covid vaccines, prescription drug pricing and health care. He previously covered the biotech and pharmaceutical industry with CNBC.Erika Edwards contributed.

- Latest News - October 2, 2025

Your Medicare, Medicaid or Affordable Care Act coverage won’t vanish during the government shutdown, but changes to some benefits and fewer government workers to help could still disrupt care for.

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Oct. 2, 2025, 5:00 AM EDTBy Aria BendixBecause Wednesday marked the start of the 2026 fiscal year, the WIC program — which provides free, healthy food to low-income pregnant women, new moms and children under 5 — was due for an influx of funding.Instead came the government shutdown. If it persists, access to the federal program, known in full as the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, could be jeopardized. A USDA letter to WIC state agency directors on Wednesday confirmed that states would not receive their next quarterly allocation of funds during the shutdown.According to the National WIC Association, a nonprofit advocacy organization that represents state and local WIC agencies, “devastating disruptions” may deny millions of moms and children access to nutritious foods if the government remains closed for longer than a week or two. Given that Social Security checks will still go out, national parks remain partially open and most Medicaid and Medicare services are continuing, a lapse in WIC funding could be among the first widespread, tangible effects of the shutdown for nonfederal workers.WIC — a program within the U.S. Department of Agriculture — served roughly 6.8 million people as of April 2022, the most recent data available. It receives funding from Congress, which the USDA then allocates to states on a quarterly basis. From there, states distribute it to WIC clinics, of which there are roughly 10,000 nationwide. The clinics distribute preloaded cards that members use to purchase program-approved healthy foods at participating grocery stores. New moms can also purchase infant formula and receive lactation counseling. Barbie Anderson, a mother of three who is pregnant, said she has relied on WIC to purchase healthy food since her oldest child was born nine years ago. Her family lives paycheck to paycheck in Milaca, Minnesota, she added, and the program helps them afford fruits, vegetables, eggs, milk, peanut butter and yogurt. She has also used it for breastfeeding support, she said.Under normal circumstances, Anderson said, her WIC card would be reloaded on Oct. 15. She’s unsure if that will happen now. “All the food that we get from WIC goes to our kids. So you’re really harming the kids” if services pause, she said.During the shutdown, states will have to rely on up to $150 million in contingency funds from the USDA to continue offering services, along with a small amount of rollover funding from the previous fiscal year in some cases, according to the National WIC Association. The group warned that the funding could dry up in a week or two if the shutdown persists, depending on how states allocate it. Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought told House Republicans during a conference call Wednesday that WIC is set to run out of money by next week if the government doesn’t reopen, according to two GOP sources on the call.“Historically, when there has been a shutdown, WIC has remained open for business, but because this one falls at the start of the fiscal year, there are some risks,” said Georgia Machell, president of the National WIC Association. She called on Congress to pass a funding bill that protects the program and keeps it running without interruption. A USDA spokesperson told NBC News that WIC’s continued operation will depend on “state choice and the length of a shutdown.” “If Democrats do not fund the government, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) will run out of funding and States will have to make a choice,” the spokesperson wrote in a statement.However, some House Democrats say the federal government has the power to keep WIC afloat — if the USDA commits to replenishing state funds used during the shutdown after it ends. In a letter to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, Reps. Bobby Scott, D-Va., and Suzanne Bonamici, D-Ore., called on the USDA to do that.Without her WIC card, Anderson said, she may have to stop buying oranges for her children, which she feeds them to boost their immune systems.“My concern is, health wise, my kids’ immunity is going to go down,” Anderson said, adding that if they get sick, she’d also worry about affording doctor’s bills.Anderson’s family lives in a rural area where options for affordable food are limited. Her WIC benefits allow her to shop at the nearest grocery store, which would otherwise be outside her budget, she said: A gallon of milk there costs roughly $5. “We could go buy chips all day long for 99 cents, if we wanted to, at a run-down grocery store. But what’s that nutrition for our kids? That’s nothing,” she said.The closest Walmart, where prices are lower, is about 45 minutes away, but the price of gas makes regular shopping there expensive, too, she said.Anderson said she isn’t eligible for other food assistance programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as food stamps. That program is expected to continue during the shutdown. (WIC generally has a higher income limit than SNAP.)The ability of WIC clinics to keep functioning will likely vary by state. Brandon Meline, director of maternal and child health at the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District, said he was told that Illinois clinics have sufficient money to last through the month. But Meline worries about the program being used as a bargaining chip in shutdown politics. “This is the first time that WIC has ever been sort of dragged into political fray nationally. We hear discussions about SNAP and cash assistance, but WIC has sort of been politically untouchable up until now,” he said.Aria BendixAria Bendix is the breaking health reporter for NBC News Digital.Melanie Zanona and Julie Tsirkin contributed.

- Latest News - October 2, 2025

If the government shutdown lasts, it could jeopardize the WIC program, which provides healthy food to low-income pregnant women, new moms and children under 5.

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Savewith a NBCUniversal ProfileCreate your free profile or log in to save this articleOct. 1, 2025, 8:48 PM EDTBy Brennan Leach and Zoë RichardsFederal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr, who drew sharp criticism from both sides of the aisle over his threats related to Jimmy Kimmel’s show, will testify before the Senate Commerce Committee, a spokesperson for the committee told NBC News.The panel, which has jurisdiction over the FCC, is chaired by Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, one of the first congressional Republicans to chastise Carr’s actions. A date has not been set for the hearing.Semafor first reported on Carr’s agreeing to testify.An FCC spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday night on the upcoming hearing.Cruz bashed Carr after he floated potential regulatory action against ABC and its parent company, Disney, ahead of what became a weeklong suspension of Kimmel’s late-night show over on-air comments he made about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.“I think it is unbelievably dangerous for government to put itself in the position of saying we’re going to decide what speech we like and what we don’t, and we’re going to threaten to take you off air if we don’t like what you’re saying,” Cruz said last month on his podcast, “Verdict with Ted Cruz,” after Kimmel’s show was indefinitely suspended. The show was reinstated nearly a week later.Trump defends FCC chair following Jimmy Kimmel suspension02:10“I gotta say, that’s right out of ‘Goodfellas.’ That’s right out of a mafioso coming into a bar going ‘Nice bar you have here, it’d be a shame if something happened to it,’” he added.President Donald Trump has repeatedly praised Carr for his actions leading up to Kimmel’s suspension, telling reporters last month that Carr should revoke broadcasters’ licenses for unfavorable coverage.In a letter last month, Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., urged Cruz to hold an oversight hearing and “demand Chairman Carr answer for this unprecedented attack on the First Amendment.” Asked by NBC News at the time whether a hearing with Carr was forthcoming, Cruz said, “We will certainly engage in oversight of all the agencies within the committee’s jurisdiction.”Brennan LeachBrennan Leach is an associate producer for NBC News covering the Senate.Zoë RichardsZoë Richards is a politics reporter for NBC News.

- Latest News - October 2, 2025

Sen. Ted Cruz, chairman of the committee holding the hearing, was one of the most outspoken GOP critics of Brendan Carr’s actions leading up to Kimmel’s benching.

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Oct. 1, 2025, 10:41 PM EDT / Updated Oct. 1, 2025, 10:54 PM EDTBy Babak DehghanpishehThe Israeli navy on Wednesday intercepted an aid flotilla bound for Gaza that was being closely watched around the world through its social media posts, according to activists within the flotilla. The Global Sumud Flotilla is made up of about 50 boats and 500 activists, including the prominent environmental campaigner Greta Thunberg. The press officer for the flotilla, Hasina Kathrada, said nine ships had been intercepted by early Thursday local time. “Prior to illegally boarding the ships, it appears as though the Israeli naval vessels intentionally damaged ship communications, in an attempt to block distress signals and stop the live-stream of their illegal boat boarding,” the press office for the flotilla said in a statement. “In addition to the boats confirmed to be intercepted, live-stream coverage and communication has been lost with multiple other boats.”The fleet has been beset by a number of incidents, including explosions, harassment by drones and jamming of communications, which activists say appeared to have been attempts to hinder the ships’ movements.The goal of the activists has been to deliver a symbolic aid package and send a message by breaking through the Israeli naval blockade and getting to the Gaza Strip. Greg Stoker, an American veteran aboard one of the boats, said around a dozen naval vessels with their transponders off had approached them while they were about 70 or 80 nautical miles from the Gaza coast. “They are currently hailing our vessels, telling us to turn off our engines and await further instructions, or our boats will be seized and we will face the consequences,” Stoker, wearing a red life jacket, said in a shaky video posted on Instagram.A video posted on a Telegram media account associated with the flotilla appears to show one of its ships being sprayed with water with an on-screen caption saying the vessel is being “water canoned.” Another post on the Telegram channel said one of the ships had “been deliberately rammed at sea.”The Israel Defense Forces did not immediately respond to a request for comment.The Israeli Foreign Affairs Ministry posted on X that the only purpose of the flotilla was “provocation.” “Israel has informed the flotilla that it is approaching an active combat zone and violating a lawful naval blockade. Israel reiterated the offer to transfer any aid peacefully through safe channels to Gaza,” the post said. A ship, from right, known as the “Family” and is part of the Global Sumud Flotilla, is anchored off the coast of the village of Sidi Bou Said, on Sept. 9, 2025.Fethi Belaid / AFP via Getty ImagesA separate X post by the foreign ministry shows a video of Thunberg pulling a white shirt over a black T-shirt and keffiyeh while she is seated next to a kneeling person in military garb. The flotilla was intercepted as Israeli forces continue their devastating assault on Gaza City, where scores of people have been killed in recent days and hundreds of thousands have been displaced. Deaths from starvation have also continued to rise, according to Palestinian health officials.Israel launched its offensive in Gaza after the Hamas-led attacks on Oct. 7, 2023, when 1,200 people were killed and around 250 were taken hostage, marking a major escalation in a decadeslong conflict.In the nearly two years since, Palestinian health officials say, more than 65,000 people have been killed in Gaza, including thousands of children, while much of the enclave has been reduced to rubble.The boats in the flotilla were sailing in international waters north of Egypt on Wednesday and had entered what activists and others called a “danger zone” or “high risk zone.” While it is still in international waters, it is an area where the Israeli navy has stopped other boats trying to break its blockade in the past and which the flotilla has been warned not to cross.The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea stipulates that a state has jurisdiction only up to 12 nautical miles from its shores. In general, states don’t have the right to seize ships in international waters, though armed conflict is an exception.People whom the IDF detained from Gaza-bound flotillas this summer were detained only a few days, but this time could be different, said Miriam Azem, the international advocacy coordinator for Adalah, a human rights organization and legal center. “We’ve seen a few threats by officials that this time around we might be looking at more prolonged detention. All of these threats are completely unsubstantiated, but we wouldn’t put anything past Israeli authorities in this regard,” Azem said in a phone interview. Her group will most likely provide legal representation for many of the activists in the Sumud flotilla who could be detained.“The scale of this, of this flotilla, which really challenges the blockade in a way that hasn’t challenged the blockade before, it makes it really hard to predict how authorities will respond, and we’re not even past the point of all interceptions are over,” Azem said. “It’s still very much unfolding as we speak.”Babak DehghanpishehBabak Dehghanpisheh is an NBC News Digital international editor based in New York.The Associated Press contributed.

- Latest News - October 2, 2025

The Israeli navy on Wednesday intercepted an aid flotilla bound for Gaza that was being closely watched around the world through its social media posts, according to activists within the.

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