America's Healthcare Costs Keep Climbing & There's No End In Sight

Written By Guest User

Plus: U.S.'s Major Military Buildup Near Venezuela

Before we get to today’s headlines, here’s a glimpse of what’s ahead for all of us this weekend in our weekly ‘Cheers to the Freakin’ Weekend’ section:

What We’re Watching:

What We’re Reading:

What We’re Eating:

  • Mosh: Mexican food from Cuerno ~Midtown, New York

  • Jill: A pie, cookie, or cupcake from Pollack’s cookbook 🥧🍪🧁

  • Lauren: All the carbs before running the Marine Corps Marathon Sunday, then celebrating with chicken fingers and 🍻 at Franklin Hall

  • Sam: Grilled cheese from 109 Cheese & Wine ~Kent, Connecticut 🧀

Have a great weekend!

The Mo News Team

Love Mo News? Support our news coverage and join Premium — where we post weekend news coverage on our members-only Instagram with the latest headlines and analysis.

🚨 ONE IMPORTANT THING

U.S. Sends Warships Toward Venezuela Amid Escalating Tensions

The U.S. is sending some of its most powerful warships toward Venezuela as tensions rise with President Nicolás Maduro’s government. The Pentagon confirmed Friday that the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group will redeploy from the Mediterranean to the Caribbean in the coming days.

The day before, the Venezuelan dictator issued an emphatic plea for calm on state TV, repeating: “No crazy war. Just peace… Please.”

President Trump on the other hand told reporters Thursday that he would not seek a formal Congressional declaration of war to authorize strikes against Venezuelan drug cartels — and bluntly added, “I think we’re just going to kill people that are bringing drugs into our country. OK? We’re going to kill them.”

HOW WE GOT HERE
It’s part of Trump’s expanded anti-narcotics and anti-terror campaign — but it also reflects a broader effort to force Maduro from power. The Venezuelan leader, whom Washington accuses of being deeply involved in the drug trade, refused to step down after losing re-election last year and has overseen the effective collapse of the country.

  • President Trump appears to be pressuring Maduro to willingly step down or compel allies to force him into exile in the short-term ahead of a further military escalation or invasion. The U.S. has already carried out strikes on at least 10 vessels, killing dozens and labeling several on board “narco-terrorists” and “unlawful combatants.” Trump said Thursday he plans to expand strikes to land.

    • Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has called the cartels the ISIS and al-Qaeda of the Western Hemisphere.

The use of the military and potential attempt at regime change raises legal and diplomatic concerns. Critics warn that expanding U.S. strikes to targets inside Venezuela could violate international law and the U.S. Constitution, since Congress has not approved a war declaration and Venezuela’s territory remains sovereign.

🎧 On this weekend’s Ask Mo Anything (#AMA) podcast, exclusively for Premium members, Mosheh answers the question: Is the U.S. going to war with Venezuela? Join Premium now to listen to the #AMA podcast, out every Saturday.

🚨 ONE THING WE’RE FOLLOWING

Health Insurance Bills Are Soaring — And Will Only Get Worse

Health insurance is more expensive than ever. The average cost of a family plan through an employer has climbed to nearly $27,000 in 2025 — a 6% jump from last year and the third straight year of steep increases, according to a new report from independent health policy research organization KFF.

  • That’s double the rate of inflation, and a similar increase is expected in 2026 — meaning the cost of healthcare in the U.S. is outpacing price increases.

It comes as hospital, drug, and labor costs remain high. Mo News producer Lauren Janes spoke with KFF’s Matthew Rae about what’s behind the surge — and what Americans can realistically do about it.

“Over the 20-year period, health insurance premiums have gone much faster than inflation or workers’ wages, and many people worry about how much of our GDP we spend on healthcare,” Rae said. “Many people keep looking for a breaking point — but it’s not clear what that would be.”

EMPLOYER-BASED COVERAGE
About half of Americans (154 million people under age 65) get health care coverage through their jobs, and prices are expected to keep rising.

  • “Employers and employees both have to chip in to pay that premium,” he explains, which is up to $27,000 total for family coverage. “So workers spend, on average, $6,850 every year to enroll in [family] health insurance.”

  • What’s driving the spike? Rae points to a several trends — including the popularity of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs. Nearly half of large employers cover GLP-1s for weight loss in 2025; some are already planning to tighten eligibility or drop coverage in 2026 due to costs associated.

But there’s more to the story. Rae also attributes price increases to consolidation in the healthcare market, doctors charging more, more prevalent chronic conditions, and people needing increasingly more care. Rising drug and hospital costs are also a major factor and don’t show signs of slowing.

EVERYONE IMPACTED
Almost everyone will see their health insurance premiums rise next year — whether you get coverage through work or the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace.

  • Premiums for those enrolled in the federal ACA marketplace could rise as much as 30%, according to the Washington Post. Americans enrolled in state marketplaces are also set to see a double-digit percentage increase. The enhanced government tax credits that help offset those costs for millions of Americans are set to expire at the end of the year— and are at the center of Senate negotiations to end the ongoing federal government shutdown.

    • Without those subsidies, many of the roughly 24 million Americans who buy insurance through the ACA marketplace could see their premiums double next year: from an average of $888 in 2025 to $1,904.

Bottom line: Higher costs mean more people go without insurance, which could raise premiums further for everyone.

Already, the U.S. spends more on healthcare than any country in the world — nearly $4.9 trillion in 2023, or $14,570 per person. That’s about double what other wealthy nations spend, according to the DC-based think tank Peter G. Peterson Foundation. Healthcare now makes up around 18% of the U.S. economy, up from just 5% in the 1960s.

⏳ THE SPEED READ

🚨NATION

  • U.S. terminates all trade talks with Canada over TV ad quoting Ronald Reagan (CNBC)

  • Trump gives disaster declarations to Alaska and others but denies Illinois, Vermont and Maryland (AP)

  • New York Attorney General Letitia James enters plea in federal mortgage fraud case (FOX)

  • Hakeem Jeffries is endorsing Zohran Mamdani for NYC mayor (CNN)

🌎 AROUND THE WORLD

  • “No crazy war!” Venezuelan dictator makes plea to Trump (MO NEWS)

  • Lithuania accuses Russia of further NATO airspace violation (GUARDIAN)

  • Jamaica could face days of hurricane conditions as Hurricane Melissa set to rapidly intensify in the Caribbean (CNN)

  • China creates Day of Taiwan’s Restoration as part of sovereignty claims over island (AP)

  • German company who made lift used in Louvre heist goes viral with social post (ABC)

📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH

  • Proctor & Gamble profits rise as company sees lower tariff hit (AFP)

  • Alaska Airlines resumes operations after an IT outage grounded its flights for hours (NBC)

  • Target is eliminating 1,800 corporate jobs as it looks to reclaim its lost luster (AP)

  • Nearly 1 in 5 urinary tract infections linked to contaminated meat, study finds (CBS)

🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT

  • ESPN, ABC risk going dark on YouTube TV as Disney contract fight heats up (NEW YORK POST)

  • Lost Picasso painting discovered in Madrid after exhibition transfer confusion (EURO NEWS)

  • Netflix sets spinoff of teen show Victorious (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER)

  • $315K in fines handed down over New York Giants’ protocol violations (ESPN)

ICYMI FROM THE 📲

In case you missed it… The “Ocean’s Fourteen” script is done, George Clooney said. But now, he joked, the franchise has to live up to the wild Louvre heist from last weekend.

“It was cool. I mean, it’s terrible. But if you’re a professional thief like I am, I was very proud of those guys,” Clooney said at the “Jay Kelly” premiere in LA 😂

Guest User
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