Author: Elizabeth Blessing
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Electricity rose 3.8% and piped gas 4.4% in a year, outpacing groceries
Two utility bills climbed faster than the grocery bill over the past year. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that electricity prices rose 3.8% and piped gas service rose 4.4% over the 12 months ending in August 2026, both ahead of the 2.2% increase for food bought at the grocery store over the same stretch.…
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USDA forecasts coffee and other nonalcoholic drinks costing 4.2% more this year
Coffee drinkers and soda buyers alike are facing a steeper grocery bill in 2026. The Sept. 25 Food Price Outlook from USDA’s Economic Research Service puts nonalcoholic beverages, the category that covers coffee, tea, soda and juice, on track for a 4.2% rise this year. The agency singles out coffee specifically as the fastest-moving item…
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Toys, holiday decorations and children’s car seats could get tariff relief under Trump’s deal with China covering $30 billion in goods
A trade framework taking shape between the United States and China could ease tariffs on some of the items families buy most around the holidays. A White House fact sheet released Sept. 25 says the two countries reached consensus on recommendations for more favorable tariff treatment covering $30 billion of goods moving in each direction,…
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Pennsylvania rejected nearly $95 million in requested Obamacare premium increases, holding 2027 rates to a 15.97% average rise
Pennsylvania’s Insurance Department turned down nearly $95 million worth of premium increases that health insurers had requested for 2027, holding the average individual-market rate hike to 15.97% instead of the 17.14% insurers proposed. The department’s review, completed September 18, 2026, examined every insurer’s filing before settling on the lower number. Pennsylvania residents shopping the ACA…
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Restaurant meals are forecast to cost 3.5% more this year, outpacing the 2.4% rise at the grocery store, USDA says
A meal eaten at a restaurant is on track to get pricier faster than the same ingredients bought at a grocery store this year. USDA’s Economic Research Service, in its Food Price Outlook published Sept. 25, forecasts food away from home rising 3.5% in 2026, compared with a 2.4% increase for food at home. The…
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Maryland regulators approved a 14.6% average Obamacare premium increase for 2027 covering about 274,000 people
Maryland’s insurance regulators approved an average 14.6% increase in 2027 individual health insurance premiums for the state’s Affordable Care Act marketplace, a decision covering about 274,000 people. The Maryland Insurance Administration finalized the rate on September 25, 2026, after reviewing separate filings from each insurer selling on the individual market. Small businesses buying coverage through…
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More than 62,000 Florida homeowners get rate cuts of 3.2% to 10.4% after regulators approved decreases at four insurers
Florida’s Office of Insurance Regulation approved homeowners insurance rate decreases at four companies this month, cutting premiums for more than 62,000 policyholders by amounts ranging from 3.2% to 10.4%. Insurance Commissioner Mike Yaworsky signed off on the reductions at One Alliance, Safe Harbor, Unique and Vyrd on September 22, 2026. The approvals mark a rare…
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USDA expects beef prices to climb 9.4% this year while eggs fall 29.4%
In its latest Food Price Outlook, released Sept. 25, USDA’s Economic Research Service forecasts supermarket beef and egg prices moving in opposite directions this year. Beef and veal are projected to average 9.4% higher in 2026 than in 2025, while egg prices are expected to fall 29.4% over the same period. The swing reflects a…
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Fannie Mae will let mortgage companies tell homeowners when rising home values may let them drop private mortgage insurance
Fannie Mae will update its mortgage-servicing guide so loan servicers can proactively tell homeowners when a rising home value or a paid-down balance makes them eligible to cancel private mortgage insurance, under a directive from FHFA Director Bill Pulte. The change would let a servicer reach out once a loan’s balance falls to 80% of…
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An October 15 IRS hearing will weigh tax-free employer deposits into Trump Accounts
The IRS has scheduled a public hearing for Oct. 15, 2026, to take comment on a proposed rule that would let employers put money directly into an employee’s child’s Trump Account, tax-free, up to $2,500 a year. The hearing follows a written-comment period that closed Sept. 25, and it addresses the employer-funded side of a…