Here's something I didn't realize that a congressman reminded me of this morning. They passed the tax cuts for billionaires, I mean, you know, when we're here in Washington, they brought us back the week of July 4th to make sure that those tax cuts that didn't expire until December 31st were passed. But now all of a sudden, when it comes to people's healthare, when it comes to people being able to afford health insurance, to be able to take their kids to the doctor, they're saying, "No, no, no, no. We've go ...

In just a few hours, we expect the Senate to vote again on the Democratic and Republican versions of a short-term spending bill to try and reopen the government. Once again, both bills are expected to fail. But while leaders in Congress, remain locked in this stalemate, a group of bipartisan senators, including my next guests, have been working behind the scenes to try and find a way out of this shutdown.And joining us now is Democratic Senator Gene Shaheen from New Hampshire, a member of the Senate Appropr ...

There are three things that Democrats are asking for here. Number one, with the Trump mega bill, there was a lot of health care provisions that passed cuts that were made to Medicaid. Democrats basically want to reverse all of what Republicans just did only a few months ago.Number two, the White House has done a number of what's called rescissions, basically taking funds that Congress in a bipartisan manner allocated to various programs. And the White House said, hey, we're not actually going to use that fu ...

Millions of Americans who buy their own health insurance through the Affordable Care Act face higher premiums in 2026. Just how much higher will depend on who blinks first in the government-shutdown fight. https://t.co/2xRxwU8cB6 ...

CVS is trying to entice health insurance plans to cover Wegovy for more patients by allowing them to charge copays as high as $200 https://t.co/YjDo1r7BGe ...

The conventional wisdom is we shut down after midnight. And I'm assuming you don't see a way around it. What comes after the shutdown.Well, unfortunately, it looks like we are barreling towards a shutdown because Democrats like Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer have changed their position entirely on keeping the government funded and passing clean cars. Whether it was Joe Biden or Donald Trump, I voted for every single C. R.to keep the government open and funded while we negotiate a final appropriations pac ...

Well, right now the White House is telling federal agencies to prepare for another possible round of mass firings unless Congress can pass a measure by the end of Tuesday, which is when government funding is set to expire. As we said, one point of contention dividing the two parties is funding for healthcare. For more on that, let's bring in former Treasury official and Morning Joe economic analyst Steve Ratner.Steve, your first chart takes us through projections on how many Americans could lose their healt ...

Core Insights - A Redditor at 59 1/2 years old is contemplating retirement with $900,000 in a 401(k), $400,000 in cash, a fully paid-off home, and a pension of $1,000 per month [1][2] Financial Situation - The Redditor's annual expenses are $26,000, primarily due to a mortgage-free home, which allows for a sustainable lifestyle [2] - The cash savings of $400,000 generate $1,100 per month in interest, contributing to monthly cash flow alongside the pension [2] Lifestyle and Work Considerations - The Redditor identifies as having few hobbies, which helps keep costs low [3] - Currently earning $110,000 per year with a demanding job, the Redditor is open to transitioning to a less stressful role with reduced hours [4][5] - A potential job change could help manage health care costs, which may increase by $1,000 per month if the Redditor retires [5] Employment Strategy - Suggestions from commenters include negotiating reduced hours with the current employer to maintain health insurance while working fewer hours [6]

Core Insights - The case of Hannah Castle highlights the exorbitant costs associated with premature births in the U.S. healthcare system, with her family's hospital stay totaling $4.04 million for four premature quadruplets [1][2] - The individual costs for each baby ranged from $714,747 to $1.6 million, with one child, Morgan, incurring a bill of $976,415.69 solely for NICU care [2][4] - The viral nature of Castle's TikTok post has sparked widespread discussion about the financial burdens of medical debt, particularly for families with premature infants [2][3] Healthcare Costs - Preterm infants often require extensive medical care, leading to significant hospital bills that can reach millions of dollars [4] - The "sticker price" of hospital services is often misleading, as insurance companies negotiate discounts, but families still face high deductibles and out-of-pocket expenses [5] - A 2021 report estimated that complications from pregnancy and delivery would cost the U.S. $32.3 billion, with $13.7 billion attributed to preterm births for babies born in 2019 [6]

Government Budget & Healthcare - Government budget battle could impact affordability of health insurance in future years [1]