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A federal judge in Rhode Island has ordered the Trump administration to deliver SNAP payments in full to states by Friday. The order, which U.S. District Judge John McConnell issued Thursday afternoon, followed two weeks of chaos and confusion about the fate of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as food stamps, during the government shutdown. (Bendix, 11/6)

In New Jersey, a single mother struggled to figure out how to feed her two young sons with $50. In Oklahoma, a 61-year-old woman questioned whether driving to a food pantry was worth the gas money. And in Colorado, a woman grabbed food from a Walmart dumpster. For the 42 million people who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, the country’s largest anti-hunger program, it has been a chaotic, nerve-racking week. (Adelson, Gahan, Medrano, Morales, Rao, Simmons and Williams, 11/7)

Over the last week, Martina Santos said she feels like she's been living a nightmare. The 67-year-old from the Bronx, New York, is one of the nearly 42 million Americans who saw their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits lapse on Nov. 1. Although the U.S. Department of Agriculture said it would partially fund the program using emergency funds, officials said it could take "a few weeks to up to several months." Additionally, President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that no benefits will be distributed until the government reopens. (Kekatos, 11/6)

With the ongoing government shutdown the federal food assistance for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) was at risk of running out of funds. But the New Hampshire health department announced Thursday it received additional funding to extend supplement nutrition benefits for WIC recipients till at least the end of this month. (Richardson, 11/6)

On Obamacare and other news from Capitol Hill —

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said Thursday he would not offer Democrats a House vote on extending expiring enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies as part of a deal to end the government shutdown. Asked at a press conference if he could assure Democrats in the House that they would get a vote on extending the subsidies, Johnson said, “No, because we did our job, and I’m not part of the negotiation.” “I’m not promising anybody anything. I’m going to let this process play out,” he continued. (Brooks, 11/6)

�鶹Ů�� Health News: �鶹Ů�� Health News’ ‘What The Health?’: The State Of The Affordable Care Act
Open enrollment for health plans under the Affordable Care Act began Nov. 1, yet it remains unclear how much the estimated 24 million Americans who purchase from the ACA marketplaces will be expected to pay in premiums starting in January. Unless Congress acts to extend tax credits added to the program in 2021, most consumers will be expected to contribute much more out-of-pocket; in some cases, double or triple what they are paying in 2025. (Rovner, 11/6)

The bitter standoff over government funding in Congress has not stopped some health policy bills from attracting greater bipartisan support. Legislation that would regulate health insurance companies’ prior authorization requirements and measures to expand telehealth coverage under Medicare are the most notable examples of bills that have gained backers during the historic standoff on Capitol Hill. The Senate has been nearly frozen since the government shut down on Oct. 1, and the House left Washington Sept. 19 and hasn’t returned. (McAuliff, 11/6)

And Nancy Pelosi is retiring from Congress —

While it has President Barack Obama’s namesake, California Democrat Nancy Pelosi was the chief architect of “Obamacare.” Pelosi helped orchestrate the landmark Affordable Care Act, getting the sweeping health care reform legislation passed in Congress and to Obama’s desk. The law enacted the most significant overhaul to the U.S. healthcare system since Medicare and Medicaid in 1965 by expanding health care coverage through Medicaid and a new health insurance marketplace. (Morin, 11/7)