| Good morning, it's Saturday, Feb. 28, and I can't resist a Guinness World Record story — even though I could have sworn we had a horse that old back at summer camp. That's a question for the group chat later — first, let's get to yours. Answering your questions We often hear from readers about health care and insurance. But since the start of the new year, the lapse of Affordable Care Act subsidies are top of mind for some. The end of those subsidies raised costs for millions of Americans. And rising health care costs are the No. 1 economic concern according to a recent KFF poll. Which leads to this question from one of our readers: - I remained optimistic in the early days of January that Congress would actually extend the health care subsidies, which expired the end of 2025. I have seen nothing on this topic in the last several weeks. Is there any hope they will revisit this catastrophic decision and extend the subsidies retroactively to the first of the year?
I once again turned to my colleagues Dan Merica and Matthew Choi, who have written about this topic for The Post's Early Brief newsletter. Here's what Dan had to say: The short answer is no, it doesn't seem as if Congress will revisit the lapsed covid-era Affordable Care Act subsidies that were aimed at keeping insurance prices down. Congress had been warned throughout 2025 that this deadline was coming and, while deadlines are often the only thing that can get Congress working, the rank partisanship on Capitol Hill was too much for even bipartisan agreement on extending the subsidies to overcome. | | | | Dan detailed a few reasons an extension never emerged: - Disagreements over where subsidy money would go;
- Persistent anger from Republicans about the Affordable Care Act — often called Obamacare, as it was President Barack Obama's signature piece of legislation;
- A lack of action from President Donald Trump. The president has talked about health care and prescription drugs — he revealed a proposal he called the "Great Healthcare Plan" last month — but hasn't offered a detailed replacement for the Affordable Care Act.
The outcome is clear, Dan notes: Multiple studies have found premium prices are increasing, in part because of the lapsed subsidies. Democrats will run on this issue this year, and it is likely that the next chance to address the issue will be next year in a new Congress. | | | | What else to know Thanks to Dan for answering our question this week. Make sure you subscribe to the Early Brief — he and Matthew are going to be all over the midterm elections and more this year. Their newsletter lands in your inbox about an hour before The 7 does each weekday morning. To sign up, click here. And thank you for the questions. Keep 'em coming: If you have questions about the news and other stories you've seen in The 7, send them here. We'll find the right person to answer them for another weekend edition of The 7. Keep reading Each weekend, The 7 team shares our favorite recent Post stories with you.  | Hannah Jewell | I'm often jealous of my friend Natalie Compton's assignments, but never more so than when she attended the Paris baguette competition this week. Her story will make you very hungry.  | Izin Akhabau | A man was arrested by ICE after reporting his car stolen. This piece follows the ongoing lawsuit.  | Jamie Ross | Surprise! I have another dog story to share. In this one, police posted a heartbreaking account of a goldendoodle who was abandoned at a Las Vegas airport. The response was extraordinary.  | John Taylor | I'm eager to watch "EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert," pieced together from the archives by Baz Luhrmann (who made an Elvis biopic a few years ago). And I'll be closely watching the changing jumpsuits. | 
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