Congresswoman talks health care impact amid shutdown
By" Amanda Wallace
NorthJersey.com
USA Today Network - New Jersey
PATERSON - Representative Nellie Pou met with members of the community on the morning of October 6 [2025] to discuss potential impacts of the ongoing government shutdown on New Jersey residents, particularly in terms of health care.
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The shutdown, which began October 1, [2025] came after a push by Democratic legislators in Congress to reverse Medicaid funding cuts enacted by President Donald Trump.
..... Subsidies under the Affordable Care Act are another point of focus, as they are set to expire December 31, [2025] raising health care premiums for millions of Americans.
..... Pou, a Paterson native, highlighted these issues during an October 6 [2025] meeting at the Paterson community Health Center, which offers primary care, dental, pediatrics, OB-GYN and podiatry to people with and without insurance.
..... "What's at stake is what creates our lifeline, and that lifeline is the ability of stay8ing healthy, the ability to have health care, the ability to have a place where you can absolutely go to and receive those services, and a place that is not going to turn you away, whether you have the ability to pay or otherwise," Pou said. "That is what is so very critical and important for our community."
..... She continued, "Congress, as you know, we have a shutdown. Nobody wanted it. I certainly did not want a shutdown. I did not believe it helps anyone ... it affects our communities in so many different ways."
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As the COVID-era subsidies for people under the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obama Care, expire at the end of the year, [2025] premiums are expected to more than double for some beneficialness, USA Today r3eported. While keeping the subsidies where they are wold cost about $350 billion over a decade, it would also mean about 4 million people would be expected to have health insurance who otherwise might not.
..... in addition, USA Today said, legislation put forward by Trump and the Republicans earlier this year, [2025] commonly referred to as the Big Beautiful Bill, made changes to the requirements for Medicaid coverage for low-income Americans and enacted new verifications checks for Obamacare recipients. As reported by USA Today, the changes are expected to result in about 10 million fewer people with health coverage in a decade. Pou described the current situation as an "attack on health care," situation as an "attack on health care," highlighting concerns about the future of individuals covered by Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act.
..... "The attack that is happening right now from the House Republicans is really going to hurt our communities all throughout, not just in this great city of mine, but all throughout the country," Poe said. "It's not about blue states or red states. It's about every single Unit4ed States of America state ... making sure that they have the ability to have the one necessary thing, and that is health care."