Main Street Dollars

—

by

An import ban on certain Canadian dairy products has been in force since September 29, replacing a 50 percent additional duty on the same goods. President Trump signed the measure, Proclamation 11062, on September 8, and the Federal Register published it September 14. It bans the goods outright rather than taxing them. What the proclamation…

An Ohio household that has been shut off pays only $175 of its balance and a reconnection fee of no more than $36 up front to get service back

—

by

An Ohio household whose electric or natural gas service has been shut off can get it back by paying only $175 of what it owes, plus a reconnection fee capped at $36 up front. That is the rule of the state’s Special Reconnect Order, a winter protection that applies even when the unpaid balance is…

Ohio’s consumer advocate says Duke Energy Ohio’s electric filing would add about $8.32 a month for about 500,000 residential customers

—

by

A typical Duke Energy Ohio electric customer would pay about $8.32 more each month if the utility’s rate request is approved, according to the state’s residential consumer advocate. The Office of the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel, which represents residential customers in rate cases, says in its fact sheet on the filing that it has intervened for…

A Nevada state retiree without Medicare on the CDHP pays $278.06 a month for retiree-only coverage after a $568.70 base subsidy

—

by

A Nevada state retiree who is not on Medicare and covers only themselves pays $278.06 a month on the Nationwide PPO Consumer Driven Health Plan, which the Public Employees’ Benefits Program lists with an unsubsidized rate of $813.26 and a $568.70 base subsidy. Those figures come from the program’s Plan Year 2027 premium rates, which…

North Carolina’s state health plan starts at $36.76 a month for a subscriber earning under $50,000 next year, with enrollment closing November 6

—

by

North Carolina state employees pay as little as $36.76 a month for 2027 coverage in the State Health Plan, and the choice has to be made by November 6. That price belongs to the Standard PPO plan, covering the subscriber alone, in the lowest salary band, according to the plan’s 2027 premium rate sheet for…

Michigan’s attorney general asked regulators to cut the approximately $456 million annual electric rate request of Consumers Energy, which sells electricity to about 1.9 million customers

—

by

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has asked state regulators to cut a Consumers Energy electric rate increase roughly in half, arguing the utility is asking for far more than it can justify. The company wants to raise electric rates by approximately $456 million a year, and the attorney general’s office wants that request reduced by…

Georgia’s state health plan sets a zero in-network deductible on its Standard and Premium Medicare Advantage retiree options next year, and the change window closes November 6

—

by

Georgia’s State Health Benefit Plan lists a $0 deductible on its Standard and Premium Medicare Advantage options for 2027, and retirees have until 11:59 p.m. Eastern on November 6 to change their coverage. The plan’s 2027 retiree guide says the Retiree Open Change Period begins Monday, October 19, at 12:00 a.m. Eastern. The window is…

Washington public retirees on Medicare in the UnitedHealthcare PEBB Balance plan pay $279.61 a month for subscriber-only coverage, before Part B, from January 1, and the state’s enrollment window closes November 23

—

by

Washington’s Health Care Authority has set the 2027 monthly premium for the UnitedHealthcare PEBB Balance plan at $279.61 for a retiree on Medicare who covers only themselves. The rate takes effect January 1, 2027, and the agency’s annual open enrollment for public retirees runs October 26 through November 23, 2026. What the 2027 premium sheet…

Ohio’s residential utility advocate says Duke Energy Ohio’s gas filing would add more than $24 a month to a typical household bill and push reconnection to $164

—

by

Ohio’s Office of the Consumers’ Counsel, the state’s statutory advocate for residential utility customers, says Duke Energy Ohio’s request for higher natural gas rates would cost a typical household more than $24 a month. The same filing would raise the fee to restore service after a shutoff to $164. Nothing has been approved. The proposal…

Wyoming blocks sweetened sodas from SNAP on February 1, Kansas on February 15

Oct 12, 2026

—

by