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U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Democrat from Weston, convened a roundtable discussion Friday with local healthcare leaders and consumer advocates to talk about the impasse in Congress over extending critical tax credits for health plans offered under the Affordable Care Act.

The issue has driven a wedge between Democrats and the majority Republicans in Congress and led to Wednesday's federal government shutdown.

Senate Democrats are holding firm to the party’s demands to fund health care subsidies that President Donald Trump and Republicans refuse to extend.

Republicans argue the issue is not urgent because the credits do not expire until the end of the year, and that the issue should be separate from funding the federal government.

The tax credits have made health insurance through the Affordable Care Act more affordable for a record 24 million people since the COVID-19 pandemic. They are set to expire at the end of the year. Estimates are that — if Congress fails to act — health insurance premiums would soar.

"GOP leaders refuse to negotiate with Democrats to end a government shutdown and prevent hundreds of thousands of Americans from losing their health care and millions more from seeing their costs skyrocket," said Wasserman Schultz in a statement.

More than 200,000 people in her congressional district, which includes parts of Miami-Dade and Broward counties, may have to pay much higher health insurance premiums if lawmakers cannot come to an agreement on the subsidies, said Wasserman Schultz. She invited hospital CEOs, healthcare workers, and consumer advocates to the roundtable.

“In the conversations I just had with healthcare leaders in my district, they were very clear that there were thousands and thousands of people in our community that will cease being able to have affordable healthcare," she said.

Florida’s 25th Congressional District had the nation's sixth highest number of total Affordable Care Act marketplace enrollees. Florida is also the state with the highest number of ACA enrollees in the nation.

READ MORE: Healthcare premiums in Florida could surge as federal tax credits face expiration: Wasserman Schultz

Wasserman Schultz condemned the current political stalemate and, like her Democratic colleagues, blaming Republicans for plunging "the nation into a healthcare crisis."

The expiration of the enhanced tax credits would dramatically impact consumers.

Analysts predict that, on average, premium payments by enrollees would increase by 114%, forcing millions to either accept higher-deductible plans or risk losing coverage entirely.

"Who can possibly afford that?” Wasserman Schultz said.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates 4 million people could become uninsured if the enhanced subsidies are not extended.

On Frida, hopes for a quick end to the government shutdown faded as Democrats refused to budge in a Senate vote and Trump readied plans to unleash layoffs and cuts across the federal government.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.