California politicians recently approved a huge $356 billion spending plan that’s now waiting for the governor’s final okay. To pay for it, they’re adding three new tax ideas that could hit wallets soon. One plan extends a tax on health care providers that normally brings in money for Medi-Cal, but
Three decades after Lyle and Erik Menendez were convicted of killing their parents, one of Jose Menendez’s former business partners still finds the brothers’ claim of abuse hard to swallow. Peter Hoffman, a former CEO of Carolco Pictures, worked closely with Jose in the late 1980s before the family’
When you hold digital money, like Bitcoin, you are totally in charge of it. This freedom is huge. You skip the banks and middlemen. But it also means if something goes wrong, it is 100% your problem. Software wallets can be hacked or lost forever. That’s a massive risk for anyone who wants to keep t
At the recent conference for hospital finance leaders, a sea of vendors took over the exhibit hall. These companies, whose jobs are to collect payments from insurers, arrived with bright smiles and candy, ready to show how they could squeeze the most cash out of each claim. The crowd was huge—so
Oscar Health, a company focused on health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, just got a boost from Barclays. The bank’s analyst upgraded its stock to “Overweight” and set a price target of $35, suggesting shares could jump another 25% soon. That’s a big deal because Oscar’s stock is already up
The problem of lead in everyday life is still big. Even with current safety rules, most people cannot stay completely away from it. Fixing the source of lead is a long‑term goal, but people need quick ways to protect themselves now. Researchers have found that having health insurance can lessen t
A woman in Connecticut got a $12, 000 surprise bill after having weight‑loss surgery at a local hospital. She had already paid $5, 000 that the insurer said would cover her out‑of‑pocket costs. Six months later, the bill jumped to over $17, 000 and the hospital sued her for the difference. She says
Health insurance isn’t cheap these days. Over the past three years, global healthcare costs have jumped sharply—10% in 2025, 9. 5% in 2024, and now predicted to rise another 10. 3% this year. Companies that provide health coverage feel the squeeze when costs go up, yet one giant in the field is doin
The Hartford is shedding its mutual fund division for about $1. 9 billion, a move that will let the company zero in on its core insurance and employee‑benefit offerings. The transaction, slated to finish early next year, will transfer Hartford Funds’ $160 billion in assets and its 400‑person team
A new lawsuit filed by Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell on May 29 accuses United Healthcare of sending over $100 million in false claims to the state’s Medicaid program, MassHealth. The case shows how a big insurer could hurt public confidence in the health‑care system, especially w
