GOP Districts ‘Supercharged’ Obamacare Use Is Risk in Shutdown Fight

The health insurance subsidies at the center of the US government shutdown fight disproportionately benefit areas of the country represented by Republican lawmakers, posing a potential vulnerability for President Donald Trump’s party in next year’s midterm congressional elections.

Twelve million Americans in Republican-held US House districts are covered by health plans purchased through Affordable Care Act exchanges versus nine million living in Democratic-held districts. Of the 75 districts where at least 10% of the people are enrolled in Obamacare policies, 47 are represented by Republicans in the House, according to 2024 data compiled by KFF, a nonpartisan health research foundation.