Several healthcare safety net groups sent a letter to congressional leaders Thursday asking them to put payments for insurance companies into a federal spending bill whose deadline is approaching next week.

The payments, called cost-sharing subsidies, help subsidize out-of-pocket medical expenses for low-income enrollees. They are estimated to reach $7 billion in 2017 and have become part of a legal and political battle that threatens their future. If insurers were to lose access to the funds, they would pull out of the Obamacare exchanges as quickly as they are able and would raise premiums.

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