Author: Elizabeth Blessing
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Tariffs on Canadian liquor, cheese and cars took effect August 22 after a three-day delay
Shoppers picking up a bottle of Canadian rye or a block of imported cheddar this week are paying more than they were a month ago, and it happened because a three-day negotiating window quietly ran out. A 50 percent duty on Canadian alcoholic beverages, dairy products and motor vehicles took effect at 12:01 a.m. Eastern…
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New tariffs of 10 to 12.5 percent now apply to goods from 60 economies
A tariff schedule that took effect five weeks ago is now the standing rule for how much extra Americans pay at the register on goods from 60 of the country’s trading partners, and it is not going away anytime soon. The Trump administration’s July 23 memorandum sets a two-tier system: a 10 percent tariff for…
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Regulators paused enforcement on tobacco surcharges, so employers need not pay the reward retroactively
Millions of workers pay more for health coverage because they smoke, vape, or otherwise fail a tobacco-related wellness standard their employer’s plan sets. Federal regulators just settled a 12-year argument over exactly when those workers get their money back if they quit and complete a cessation program partway through the year — and the answer…
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A Federal Reserve watchdog says the administration moved to cut 87 percent of the consumer bureau’s staff
A government watchdog has now put an official number on an effort that consumer advocates have been warning about for months: the push to gut the federal agency that fields complaints about banks, debt collectors, and mortgage servicers on behalf of ordinary households. The Federal Reserve’s own Office of Inspector General reviewed the situation at…
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Meta will pay up to $17.1 billion to 51 states, the biggest such settlement outside tobacco
Meta Platforms has agreed to pay up to $17.1 billion to resolve lawsuits filed by attorneys general across the country accusing the company of designing Instagram and Facebook to be addictive to children. The deal, announced August 26, is the largest state consumer-protection settlement on record outside the tobacco settlements of the 1990s, according to…
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Apple raised Apple TV to $14.99 a month and Apple One to $21.95, its second increase in a year
Apple’s streaming and bundle subscribers are paying more starting this week. The company raised the price of a standalone Apple TV subscription and its Apple One bundle for new sign-ups on August 28, with current subscribers due for a billing notice roughly a month before the higher rate reaches their card. For a household already…
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USDA now forecasts beef prices up 9.8 percent this year, the biggest grocery increase of 2026
Grocery shoppers who have noticed the price of ground beef and steak climbing faster than everything else in the cart are not imagining it. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service now forecasts beef and veal prices rising 9.8 percent for all of 2026, the steepest projected increase among the 15 major grocery categories…
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Lee Health is ending its UnitedHealthcare contracts, pushing Fort Myers hospitals out of network for Medicare Advantage on January 1
One of Southwest Florida’s largest hospital systems has told the country’s biggest health insurer it is done doing business together, and the fallout lands squarely on Medicare Advantage enrollees around Fort Myers. Lee Health notified UnitedHealthcare on August 26 that it is ending its hospital and physician contracts, a move that will push every Lee…
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Medicare Advantage plans can charge up to $9,850 in network next year, and $14,800 once care goes out of network
Medicare has just locked in the dollar ceiling a Medicare Advantage plan is allowed to charge enrollees in 2027, and the number is higher than what plans could charge this year. For anyone who ends up needing extensive hospital or specialist care, the figure that matters most is not the monthly premium. It is the…
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SNAP’s savings limit for households with someone 60 or older rises to $4,750 on October 1
A household does not lose Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program eligibility just because it has some money saved, but there is a ceiling, and it is about to move for the first time since last fall. Starting October 1, households with a member who is 60 or older, or who is disabled, will be allowed to…
