Articles

When asked why they have not personally purchased health insurance this year, nearly half of the uninsured (46%) say they have tried to get coverage but that it was too expensive. Relatively few cite other reasons, including 9 percent who say they'd rather pay a fine than pay for insurance. Most of the uninsured (55%) say they plan to get health insurance in the next few months. Some may in fact be in the midst of a brief period without insurance; however, a majority (55%) say that they have been uninsured for at least two years. more »

Roberta McReynolds writes: I took my husband to a doctor's appointment only to discover they had no record of it. His appointment card was at home, so I couldn't convince the receptionist that we were supposed to be there. She initiated a long, pointless dialogue about the dates of Mike's previous visits. We were just wasting time, so we abandoned our mission. We had passed a stunning orchard on the way through the countryside, and again on our departure, but without a camera. I needed to salvage something from a day that was otherwise doomed by multiple blunders. more »

Julia Sneden wrote: So instead of over-indulging ourselves this year, we will pass along homemade things and/or family items that have interesting histories, and a book or two (gifts of books are sacrosanct at Christmas). We will also make donations to local organizations that feed the hungry, and fill some of the stockings that the local mall sets out for needy children, hoping that what is a small sacrifice for us will be a blessing to others. more »

"The Federal Open Market Committee judges that there has been considerable improvement in labor market conditions this year, and it is reasonably confident that inflation will rise, over the medium term, to its 2 percent objective. Given the economic outlook, and recognizing the time it takes for policy actions to affect future economic outcomes, the Committee decided to raise the target range for the federal funds rate to 1/4 to 1/2 percent." more »