- The Uninsured Rate Is Rising for These 3 Groups Vox by Sarah Kliff —America's uninsured rate has steadily ticked downward ever since the Affordable Care Act became law. This makes a new Commonwealth Fund study quite surprising: It shows the uninsured rate going up for certain demographics. "We did see some troubling upticks," says Sara Collins, senior vice president at Commonwealth Fund and lead author of the study. Collins found the uninsured rate rose among three groups: middle-aged Americans between 35 and 49, middle- and high-income Americans, and those in states that did not expand Medicaid. Before we dive into details, I think some context is helpful. All available data shows that the country's uninsured rate is at an all-time low. The federal government put out data a few weeks ago showing that more people had insurance in the first three months of 2017 than any other period on record.
- Frustration Mounts Over Premiums for Individual Health Plans Associated Press by Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar — Millions of people who buy individual health insurance policies and get no financial help from the Affordable Care Act are bracing for another year of double-digit premium increases, and their frustration is boiling over. Some are expecting premiums for 2018 to rival a mortgage payment. The most exposed consumers tend to be middle-class people who don't qualify for the law's income-based subsidies. They include early retirees, skilled tradespeople, musicians, self-employed professionals, business owners, and people such as Sharon Thornton, whose small employer doesn't provide health insurance.