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Kaiser Health News*: May 11th Era of ‘Free’ Covid Vaccines, Test Kits, and Treatments Is Ending. Who Will Pay the Tab Now?
"Medicare beneficiaries, those enrolled in Medicaid — the state-federal health insurance program for people with low incomes — and people with" Affordable Care Act coverage will continue to get Covid vaccines without cost sharing, even when the public health emergency ends and the government-purchased vaccines run out. Many people with job-based insurance will also likely not face copayments for vaccines, unless they go out of network for their vaccinations. People with limited-benefit or short-term insurance policies might have to pay for all or part of their vaccinations. And people who don’t have insurance will need to either pay the full cost out-of-pocket or seek no- or low-cost vaccinations from community clinics or other providers. If they cannot find a free or low-cost option, some uninsured patients may be forced to skip vaccinations or testing." more »
Congressional Budget Office: Federal Budget Deficit Totals $1.4 Trillion in 2023; Annual Deficits Average $2.0 Trillion Over the 2024–2033 Period
"The cumulative deficit over the 2023–2032 period that we now project is $3 trillion larger than we projected last May, mainly because of newly enacted legislation and changes to the economic forecast that boost interest costs and spending on mandatory programs. Federal debt held by the public is projected to rise from 98 percent of GDP in 2023 to 118 percent in 2033 — an average increase of 2 percentage points per year. Over that period, the growth of interest costs and mandatory spending outpaces the growth of revenues and the economy, driving up debt. Those factors persist beyond 2033, pushing federal debt higher still, to 195 percent of GDP in 2053. The increase in mandatory spending is driven by rising costs for Social Security and Medicare. Total discretionary spending falls in relation to GDP. As the cost of financing the nation’s debt grows, net outlays for interest increase substantially." more »
Rose Madeline Mula Writes: Van Gogh and Me
Rose Madeline Mula Writes, Van Gogh and Me: I knew about Van Gogh's demons. That should have given me a clue that trying to paint will drive you crazy. As we all know, despite Vinny's amazing talent, he became so deranged that he lopped off an ear. I once took a course titled, Watercolor Without Fear. It was wonderful. Following the instructor's excellent guidance I actually produced a fairly respectable painting of a rose that first evening. It was intoxicating! more »
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Seeks Public Feedback On How the Consumer Credit Market is Functioning
The CFPB is interested in hearing about people’s overall experiences with credit card products. In particular, the request is seeking information on: Terms of credit card agreements and the practices of credit card issuers; Effectiveness of disclosure of terms, fees, and other expenses of credit card plans; Adequacy of protections against unfair or deceptive acts or practices relating to credit card plans; Cost and availability of consumer credit cards; Safety and soundness of credit card issuers; Use of risk-based pricing for consumer credit cards; Consumer credit card product innovation more »