Category: Cost of Living
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A judge kept RealPage and three landlords in the government’s rent-pricing case
RealPage and three of the country’s large landlords will have to answer the government’s rent-pricing lawsuit. A federal court in the Middle District of North Carolina refused to dismiss the case, California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced Oct. 2, and ordered RealPage and its landlord co-defendants to respond to the complaint. The three landlords still…
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Obamacare enrollment fell from 21.8 million to 19.2 million after extra subsidies expired
Obamacare enrollment shrank by 2.6 million people in a year. It fell from 21.8 million in 2025 to 19.2 million in 2026, a 12 percent drop and the first decline in seven years, according to a KFF analysis of federal data. The enhanced premium tax credits that had lowered costs for millions of enrollees expired…
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Stores could round cash totals to the nearest nickel, rounding 1, 2, 6 or 7 cents down and 3, 4, 8 or 9 up, under a penny bill Congress passed
Cash totals at the register could be rounded to the nearest nickel under a bill Congress has passed. The measure is the Common Cents Act, H.R. 10167, which ends production of the penny for general circulation and lets sellers round cash totals to a multiple of five cents. The House passed it by voice vote…
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Disney World’s top annual pass now costs $1,749, up from $1,629
A year of Walt Disney World admission with no blockout dates now costs $1,749 on the Disney Incredi-Pass, which Mickey Visit calls the resort’s top-tier annual pass. That is $120 more than the $1,629 the same pass cost in October 2025, about 7 percent. Disney’s own annual pass page lists the $1,749.00 price for guests…
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Obamacare shoppers 30 and older with incomes above 250 percent of poverty can qualify for catastrophic plans in 2027, and some plans can run up to 10 years
Catastrophic health plans, which HealthCare.gov offers to people under 30 and to people with an exemption, are opening to more older shoppers in the Obamacare marketplace. A federal rule from the Department of Health and Human Services lets people 30 and older buy one if they get a hardship exemption because their income puts them…
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Starting Jan. 1, only green-card holders, Cuban and Haitian entrants and COFA migrants among lawfully present immigrants can get Obamacare savings
A lawfully present immigrant shopping for Obamacare coverage for 2027 will find that immigration status now decides who gets help paying for it. Starting Jan. 1, 2027, the federal marketplace site says, “only people with certain immigration statuses can qualify for” savings on their plan costs, and the list is short: Lawful Permanent Residents (green…
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Senators gave State Farm, Allstate, USAA, Farmers, Liberty Mutual and American Family until Oct. 16 to explain claims closed without payment, citing over 44 percent of 2025 home claims at the five largest home insurers
Two senators have given six of the country’s biggest insurers until Oct. 16 to explain why a growing share of home and auto claims ends without a payment to the policyholder. Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Josh Hawley, R-Mo., sent the letters Oct. 2 to State Farm, Allstate, USAA, Farmers, Liberty Mutual and American Family.…
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Treasury began mailing $500 Obamacare refund checks Sept. 30 to about 950,000 people, with a letter that blames the Biden administration, an official told ABC News
The first of the $500 Obamacare refund checks went into the mail on Sept. 30, an administration official told ABC News, and the letter that comes with each one puts the blame for the overcharge on the Biden administration. Treasury is sending the checks to about 950,000 people, the official said. In an Oct. 1…
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Henry Hub natural gas is forecast at $3.16 in 2027, down 32 cents
Henry Hub is the benchmark that sets the tone for natural gas prices across the country, and the Energy Information Administration expects it to slip next year. In its October 6 outlook, the agency forecasts the Henry Hub price will average $3.16 per million British thermal units in 2027. That is down 32 cents, or…
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Gas averaged $4.33 in September, a record for the month, AAA says
September was the most expensive September on record for gasoline. AAA says the national average for the month came to $4.33 a gallon, which is 50 cents above the previous September record of $3.83, set in 2023. The motor club announced the figure in its weekly gas price report on Oct. 1. The record covers…