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Getty Images/Emily Bogle/NPR |
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| NPR's series Cost of Living: The Price We Pay is examining what’s driving price increases and how people are coping after years of stubborn inflation. |
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| U.S. health care is the most expensive in the developed world and the price point is only rising. Last year, the average annual premium for an employer-based health insurance plan for a family of four was over $25,500. Of that average total, employers contributed about $19,200 and workers contributed the rest. Total premiums have risen over 24% since 2019 and are widely expected to surge next year. Here’s how the increasing costs are impacting people and companies:
⚕️ Drugmakers, hospitals, insurance companies and other for-profit companies have driven up the costs of accessing medical care in the U.S. For example, drugmakers are developing more effective medications, but they are charging a lot for them.
⚕️ For many of the millions of people who get health insurance through their employer, their paycheck deductions could surge next year by 6% to 7% on average.
⚕️ Some companies are covering all insurance premiums. Offering zero-premium health insurance can help to recruit new employees, reduce turnover rates and help workers stay focused on their job, instead of expenses.
Listen to more about what companies are doing to help with health insurance premiums, or read a conversation about it. This week, the series will cover the rising cost of entertainment, like the price of tickets to sporting events. Stay up-to-date on the latest stories here. |
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| How are higher prices changing the way you live? Fill out this form to share your story with NPR. |
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| Cumbia Across Latin America is a visual report covering the people, places and cultures that keep this music genre alive in six countries. |
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| The first cumbia song recorded in Ecuador in the 1960s had just one verse and it was called "Cumbia Triste." Written by Polibio Mayorga, the song combined the rhythms of the San Juanito — traditional Andean music — with rural Colombian cumbia, which arrived to the country by way of the record industry. The result marked a new identity for many migrants who came to live in Ecuador's urban centers. Mayorga laid the groundwork for the Ecuadorian cumbia sound and musicians like Medardo Luzuriaga, who transformed the genre into a national sensation. Luzuriaga recorded over 100 albums, and his emblematic cumbias still live in the collective conscience of the entire country. Learn more about Ecuador's influence on the genre of music and see pictures of the culture surrounding it. You can also read the article in Spanish. |
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Ever wish you could still call Ray from Car Talk? Now you can.
Starting this month, as a new bonus feature on Car Talk+, members will get to hear the younger Tappet Brother yuck it up with listeners again on a semi-quasi-regularish basis. “Whenever I can fit it in between my yoga classes, Mahjong games, and mechanics’ romance book club meetings,” says Ray.
The best part of joining Car Talk+, aside from supporting public media? You can ask Ray a car question yourself by leaving him a message at 888-522-5478. If he picks your question, he’ll take your call and chat with you about your expiring Explorer or limping Lamborghini.
In other bonus episodes for Car Talk+, you’ll hear producer’s picks of some of the best moments from the series, highlights of Tom’s mail segments, and prehistoric excerpts from Weekend Edition, aired on NPR before Car Talk was even launched. And supporting Car Talk+ means you’ll also get archive access to 800+ OG Car Talk episodes.
Join Car Talk+ and join us in welcoming back Ray! |
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Kevin Winter/Getty Images for KROQ |
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| | Sam Rivers, bassist for rock band Limp Bizkit, has died at age 48. The band said in a social media post on Saturday, "today we lost our brother." |
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| | The Louvre Museum in Paris was robbed yesterday morning. Investigators are searching for four men who made off with “priceless” jewels, officials say. |
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| | OpenAI users have been blocked from making videos of Martin Luther King Jr. on its Sora app after his estate complained about the spread of "disrespectful depictions." Since the app’s launch three weeks ago, users have made hyper-realistic deepfake videos of King saying offensive and racist things. |
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Stream your local NPR station. |
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| Visit NPR.org to find your local station stream. |
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