Covered California officials announced premiums for health insurance sold through the state’s marketplace will increase by nearly 8% in 2025.

Most enrollees are typically shielded from annual premium increases because they receive financial assistance from the government. People who don’t qualify for subsidies bear the full cost of rate hikes. 

In terms of insurance carriers, Aetna CVS Health, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield have proposed the biggest rate hikes — 15.4%, 12.7% and 8.4%, respectively. Blue Shield and Anthem cover about 40% of all Covered California enrollees.

Under the Affordable Care Act, the federal government has consistently provided some financial assistance. More recent laws adopted during the COVID-pandemic — the American Rescue Plan and then later the Inflation Reduction Act —  enhanced that aid by capping what people spend on their health insurance premiums to 8.5% of their income. What people end up paying for a health plan depends largely on their income, their household size and age. 

The enhanced financial assistance provided by the Inflation Reduction Act is set to expire at the end of 2025. Congress would have to extend this aid for it to continue beyond next year.

Tax penalties for uninsured Californians

Many Californians who go without insurance may unknowingly pay more in tax penalties than they would for a health plan. California is one of four states, plus the District of Columbia, that penalizes residents for not having health insurance. This most recent tax season, Californians saw penalties of up to $850 per adult and $425 per child.

Covered California enrollees should ensure their household and income information is up to date. If that information is outdated because of a job change or another life event, enrollees could receive excess premium subsidies. In that case, they may find that they’ll have to repay some of that assistance when they next file their taxes. Conversely, some people may learn that they are eligible for more assistance than they are currently receiving.

Open enrollment for 2025 starts Nov. 1.

Aetna Medicare is currently in active negotiations with Providence (St Joseph, St Jude, and Mission Hospital and associated medical providers) in California with regards to network participation with a possible term date of 09/01/2024. Negotiations are ongoing and both parties are continuing with further discussions in hopes of reaching an acceptable agreement. This termination will impact Aetna Individual Medicare Advantage (MA) and Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug Plans (MAPD) HMO and PPO plans.

Earlier this year, negotiations between Blue Shield and Providence led to a compromise, resulting in only the individual Blue Shield Trio HMO plan being out of network as of August 31, 2024.

Should negotiations with Providence fail, members enrolled in the impacted plans will be reassigned to a new primary care provider within a different network. However, members undergoing treatment for certain qualified medical conditions might be eligible to continue their care with their current provider.

Although drug formularies and plan premiums for 2025 won't be available until October, the standard plan benefits have been announced. The 2025 Plan deductible will rise by $45 to $590, with the initial coverage member share set at 25%. The "Donut Hole" will no longer exist, and the Out-of-Pocket Threshold will be $2,000, with the member share at 0%. Actual plan benefits may differ, but all plans are required to offer benefits at least as comprehensive as the standard plan benefits.

Additionally, 2025 will see the introduction of the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan (M3P), giving Part D members the option to pay their out-of-pocket Part D Prescription drug costs in equal monthly installments. This offers those with costly covered medications the ability to spread their Rx expenses throughout the plan year.

Today, more than 73 percent of the U.S. food supply is ultra-processed. While both natural and ultra-processed foods are referred to as “food,” there is a vast difference between them. For instance, ultra-processed foods are not grown in soil but manufactured in factories, using many ingredients that cannot be found in the average home pantry.

Beyond conventional additives such as preservatives, colors, and flavorings, many new additives are emerging. Stabilizers, emulsifiers, firming agents, leavening agents, anti-caking agents, humectants, and more have been invented to modify the taste and texture of food.

Among the most widely used FDA-approved substances added to food, many have a safety classification known as “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS) based on their extensive historical use before 1958 or their safety evaluation in the 1970s or more recently. However, there’s no limit on the amount of substances classified as GRAS that can be added to food.  

 Objectively speaking, some food additives may offer more benefits than drawbacks. Preservatives, for example, help extend the shelf life of food. Adding a moderate amount of nitrites to cured meats can prevent botulism, a serious condition. However, many additives that enhance color, flavor, and other sensory aspects are essentially not necessary.

Scientists have demonstrated the health hazards of consuming ultra-processed foods, including their close association with early death, cardiovascular diseases, mental disorders, respiratory diseases, metabolic syndrome, and cancer. According to a 2024 umbrella review published in the BMJ, convincing evidence has been found linking ultra-processed food to a 50 percent increase in cardiovascular disease mortality, a 53 percent increase in common mental disorder outcomes, and a dose-dependent 12 percent increase in diabetes risk.

Phosphate Additives

A 2023 study published in the Journal of Renal Nutrition found that of all the 3,466 U.S. packaged foods tested, more than half contained phosphate additives. When a person eats natural foods, the release of phosphorus is relatively slow, and not all of it is absorbed. In contrast, inorganic phosphate food additives are quickly absorbed into the bloodstream, significantly increasing blood phosphate levels and releasing hormones that promote phosphate excretion. These hormones can have a range of adverse effects on the cardiovascular system, kidneys, and bones, resulting in reduced vitamin D levels, bone loss, vascular calcification, and impaired kidney filtration capacity.

Emulsifiers

Emulsifiers are another category of substances previously thought to be harmless but now shown to have adverse effects.

The FDA has approved 171 emulsifiers, while the European Union allows only 63. A French study found that seven of the 10 food additives most consumed by adults were emulsifiers. A 2024 study published in The Lancet Regional Health Americas showed that most of the more than 33 million packaged foods purchased by American households contained emulsifiers, including 81 percent of candy and gum, 88 percent of puddings and ice creams, and 87 percent of frozen entrees and pizzas.

The French study mentioned above also found that people who consumed a lot of emulsifiers had a higher risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease and overall cancer.

The issue with additives does not arise from consuming them once or twice. The problem is that you have it in large amounts over a long period of time.

There are some smart phone apps that can assist you in making wiser shopping choices. One example is Yuka, with over 57 million users, which deciphers product labels and analyzes the health impact of food products and cosmetics with a simple bar code scan.

Eating fruit regularly provides your body with essential nutrients and makes it easier to stay on top of your hydration goals. See if your favorites made this list of the top hydrating fruits.

Staying hydrated is always important — and becomes even more so as temperatures rise. “The warmer and drier it gets, and the more we sweat, the more fluids we need,” says Michelle Dudash, RDN, author of The Low-Carb Mediterranean Cookbook. Luckily, if you enjoy the taste of fruit, incorporating more of it into your diet can help you meet or even exceed your hydration goals.

Nuts are a convenient and tasty way to dial up your protein intake. But not all of them offer the same set of nutrients. Nuts are versatile and full of flavor, many nut varieties are packed with protein. “Not only does Research shows that [protein] keeps you satisfied and less likely to overeat, it also helps preserve and even build muscle mass.