The news, with the bill attached.
this story***SEP 16
2026 · FOMC decision
fed's rate decision and dot plot land september 16
Your Coverage
Health plans, Medicare, premiums and deductibles — what changes and what it adds to your bill.
Your 2027 Medicare surcharge is set by a number nobody has published
IRMAA decides whether you pay a surcharge on top of Part B. The 2027 brackets are not confirmed until CMS publishes them around November 2026.
Medicare Part B is projected to cost $209.50 a month in 2027
The Trustees Report puts the 2027 standard Part B premium at $209.50, up $6.60 from 2026. Private forecasters think it lands higher. Here is the gap.
Part B's increase is projected to slow from 9.7% to 3.3%
After a $17.90 jump in 2026, the projected 2027 Part B increase is $6.60. What changed, and why the projection may still be low.
Nearly 22 million people are exposed to the subsidy expiration
Analysts put the number of people facing sharply higher health costs or losing coverage after the enhanced ACA credits expired at close to 22 million.
Your Money
Taxes, federal benefits, refunds and prices. The number that lands in your account.
The 2027 Social Security COLA is tracking near 3.6%
Estimates for the 2027 cost-of-living adjustment run from 3.2% to 3.6% after July inflation data. SSA announces the confirmed figure on October 14.
The 401(k) limit is projected to reach $25,000 in 2027
Projections put the 2027 elective deferral limit at $25,000, up $500. The IRS confirms the real figure in late October or early November 2026.
The 2027 tax brackets are not out yet. Here is what is settled
The IRS publishes 2027 brackets and the standard deduction in October or November 2026. The seven-rate structure stays; the thresholds move with inflation.
RAP puts your income in one of 11 brackets. There is no $0 payment
The Repayment Assistance Plan charges 1% to 10% of adjusted gross income, minus $50 per dependent, with a $10 monthly floor and no cap.
Deadlines & Dates
When the money moves, when the window closes, and what happens if you miss it.
fed's rate decision and dot plot land september 16
The Fed's next rate decision, paired with fresh economic projections and the dot plot, is set for September 16, 2026.
October 14 is the day the 2027 COLA stops being a guess
SSA is expected to announce the confirmed 2027 cost-of-living adjustment on October 14, 2026, once September CPI-W is published.
You get 54 days to change your Medicare plan. Then it locks
Medicare open enrollment runs October 15 to December 7. Changes made in that window take effect January 1; miss it and you generally wait a year.
The law holds your whole refund if you claim the EITC
The PATH Act requires the IRS to hold the entire refund of EITC and ACTC filers until mid-February, not just the part tied to the credit.
Washington → Wallet
Federal policy, priced per household. No sides, just the arithmetic.
Your raise and your Medicare premium arrive in the same month
A 3.6% COLA on a $1,900 check is about $68. A projected $6.60 Part B increase takes roughly a tenth of it before the deposit lands.
Utilities asked for $9.4 billion in rate hikes in three months
In Q1 2026 alone, utilities requested $9.4 billion in rate increases from state commissions, following $31 billion in requests across 2025.
17 states raise their minimum wage on January 1
Seventeen states adjust their minimum wage for inflation each January. Michigan and Nebraska reach $15.00, Washington leads at $17.13.
Congress let the enhanced credits lapse. The bill was $780 a year
The enhanced ACA premium tax credits expired December 31, 2025. The average net monthly premium rose $65 — about $780 over a full year.
World → Price
Tariffs, energy and supply chains — traded abroad, paid at your checkout.
One in six households is behind on the power bill
Roughly 1 in 6 U.S. households entered 2026 behind on utility bills, with a combined $25 billion owed projected by year end.
Tariffs cost your household somewhere between $600 and $2,512
Credible 2026 estimates of the per-household tariff cost differ by a factor of four. The spread is not sloppiness — it is what each study measures.
Tariffs have cost Americans $343 billion, and not evenly
Cumulative tariff costs have reached $343 billion, with residents of five states carrying a disproportionate share of the burden.
Data centers use more power. Households absorbed the price rise
Residential electricity prices rose 25% from 2020 to 2024 while industrial users saw little increase — and some now pay less than two years ago.