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This week, Senate Democrats will hold a vote on extending expiring Affordable Care Act tax credits to try to prevent health insurance premiums from skyrocketing for millions of Americans. That vote is basically guaranteed to fail.

Where did these credits come from, and what’s likely to happen when they (almost) inevitably lapse?

Guest: Julie Rovner, chief Washington correspondent for KFF Health News and host of the podcast “What the Health?”

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Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme, and Rob Gunther.

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What Next: Healthcare Is Expensive. It’s About To Get Worse.