There's no doubt about it. Healthcare is the most contentious and divisive issue in politics today. Unless you've been living under a rock, you're aware the government could shut down tomorrow due the failure of Congress to pass a continuing resolution to fund its operation past Oct. 1.
If you've lost track of the back and forth between House Republicans and the Democratic-controlled Senate, here's where we're at:
Over the weekend, the House passed legislation that would fund the government through mid-December but would delay ObamaCare's individual mandate by one year. It would also delay by one year the new tax on medical devices.
The Senate will take up the bill this afternoon. On Friday, it approved legislation to fund the government thorugh mid-November but stripped the House's ObamaCare funding delay from the legislation. The Senate is expected to take the same action when it meets today.
A government shutdown appears to be likely. Although healthcare has always been a contentious issue, who would have thought three years ago when the law passed that the entire federal government could come to a halt over it? Perhaps there were a few out there who foresaw this, but I wasn't one of them.
So what would the impact of a shutdown be? According to a Wall Street Journal report:
"[A] shutdown would prompt federal agencies to suspend a large range of activities and furlough at least 825,000 of the U.S. government's more than two million workers, according to plans filed with the White House. However, much of the public would be unaffected, as services deemed essential would continue, among them those related to national security, mail delivery, air traffic and law enforcement."
If the shutdown occurs, as is expected by many analysts, get ready for significant impacts — all because of disagreement around a single, though far reaching, healthcare law.
For a great FAQ on the potential shut down, check out this piece from CNN.