By Staff Writer: Eliza Bengala

The words ‘shutdown’, ‘stalemate’, ‘GOP’, ‘federal budget’, and ‘Obamacare’ have been floating around in the news lately. It all has to do with the partial government shutdown, the first shutdown in 17 years, which went into place at 12:01 a.m. the morning of Tuesday, October 1, because the Democrats and Republicans couldn’t agree on a new federal budget.

Let’s start from the beginning. On March 23, 2010, President Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare into law. Obamacare aimed to give health insurance to everyone (specifically to those who didn’t already have health insurance through their job), no matter age, gender, income, social status, or pre-existing conditions existed. The plan would be funded through a nationwide, public healthcare system.

Open enrollment for Obamacare started on October 1, and all policies bought between then and December 15, 2013 will begin coverage on January 1, 2014. Although policies can still be purchased after December 15.

January 1 is a convenient time for the Obamacare policies to begin, considering that that is the day when all Americans (with a few exceptions) must have health insurance. Just like car insurance, Americans must also have health insurance, and if you don’t have health insurance by then, you will have to pay a yearly fee to the government which depends upon your income.

So, what does Obamacare have to do with the partial government shutdown?

September 30 marks the end of the fiscal (fiscal meaning “budget”) year, and October 1 marks the beginning of a new one. Every year, Congress must come up with a new federal budget for the government to follow, and they must have that budget made by the beginning of the new fiscal year. If Congress is unable to come up with a new federal budget, the government must “shut-down” because it has no plan on how to collect money and what to spend it on.

Here’s where Obamacare ties into the shutdown. Republicans and Democrats can’t agree on Obamacare. Any of it. While the Democrats support the entire plan, the Republicans insist that any new budget includes plans to either defund or completely get rid of Obamacare, arguing that Obamacare will hurt employers with the amount of overreach from the federal government, has unfair mandates for small businesses, as well as other arguments about everybody putting money into the same pot. And, while the Democrat-dominated Senate tries to pass ideas for a federal budget through the Republican-dominated House of Representatives, the Republicans continue to reject every bill because they all include funding for Obamacare. And, until the stalemate ends and Republicans and Democrats can make a compromise, no new budget will take place and the government will continue to remain partially shut down.

After reading all of that, you may be asking yourself, “How does a government shutdown affect us here in Michigan?” Well, it does in a lot of ways.

When the government shuts down, it stops paying all federal employees, with the exception of any federal employee who is part of public safety and healthcare. (E.g. Police, firefighters, doctors, military) In the case of this particular shutdown, we will still get mail, be able to go to the Secretary of State, receive Social Security benefits, unemployment benefits, and sign up for Obamacare.

Unfortunately, you still have to pay taxes during a shutdown. If you work for the federal government, you’re going to be out of work, no telling how long. And, if you just applied for Social Security benefits, your first check won’t be coming until after the shutdown is over. The Department of Treasury will also be closed, meaning that you won’t be able to get any permits processed, including gun permits, so all of you hunters will just have to wait. Federal parks, museums, zoos, and monuments will remain closed until the shutdown is over because it is run by federal employees. You can actually still get a passport for now, but if the shutdown lasts long enough, the federal buildings where the Home State Department passport offices are located may shutdown.

And the shutdown effects won’t end when government opens back up. Thanks to the fact that businesses won’t be able to apply for loans during the shutdown, people won’t be able to get mortgage loans, and federal employees won’t get paid. Because of this, our already fragile economy can really get hurt. According to CNN, a shutdown lasting even two weeks can take about 0.3-0.4% of growth off of our already staggering economy. That might not sound like a lot, but considering that our economy has been growing at a rate of less than 2% per year, a shutdown that lasts long enough can take a real toll, possibly even sending our economy back to the way it was in 2008.

How long the shutdown will last is hard to tell. Until the Republicans and Democrats can agree on a federal budget and on Obamacare, the government will continue to remain on shutdown.