Lawmakers and industry say a retroactive fix and a special enrollment period could provide relief in 2026 after two Senate votes to extend ACA enhanced subsidies failed and the House advanced a GOP alternative that would not preserve the extra payments.Analysts warn total premium costs for subsidized marketplace enrollees could rise to an average $1,904 in 2026 from $888 in 2025, investors have bid up insurer shares, and KFF data show many consumers could face more than doubled costs if credits lapse.The dispute played out on the House floor, where Jim McGovern challenged Republican claims of a ready replacement and centrists forced a discharge petition that shaped the vote, leaving Congress to weigh a politically painful trade-off before members return in early January.