Free Republic

Many Obamacare customers could be looking at surprisingly large price increases next year—if insurers get their wishes. Health insurance premiums for individual plans in major U.S. cities would rise by an average of 12 percent in 2016 if the newly proposed prices are approved, a new analysis finds. And prices would increase even more—14 percent on average—for people enrolled in the most popular type of Obamacare plans, known as "silver" plans, the HealthPocket study reveals. Customers insured in health maintenance organization (HMO) and exclusive provider organization (EPO) plans—which as a rule don't cover treatment from providers outside of their networks—would...

Fears are mounting that Greece could be the first European country to default on its debt in 60 years, as the country gears up to salvage collapsed talks over bond repayments on Wednesday. Three months of negotiations ground to a halt on Friday night, amid a wave of downgrades by ratings agency Standard & Poor’s aimed at a clutch of European countries, including France. The unexpected breakdown in talks between Greece and its private-sector creditors has taken the country a step closer to bankruptcy after a failure to sign up lenders to a voluntary and “orderly” 50pc haircut to their...

The number of initial claims for regular state unemployment insurance benefits fell 27,000 to 451,000, seasonally adjusted, in the week ended Sept. 4, the Labor Department reported Thursday. Economists polled by MarketWatch had expected a level of 470,000. The four-week average of initial claims -- a more accurate gauge of employment trends -- fell 9,250 to 477,750. The number of workers who continued to receive state unemployment checks fell by 2,000 to 4.48 million in the week ended Aug. 28. The four-week average of these continuing claims fell 3,250 to 4.49 million, the lowest level since December of 2008.