Health insurance premiums for some Americans could increase by a whopping 66 percent next year. Why are insurers jacking up their rates? And why are Republicans killing off Biden-era subsidies for the Affordable Care Act, despite their overwhelming, bipartisan popularity? Could such efforts backfire and make Medicare for All inevitable? And how can individuals and small businesses prepare for insurance hikes?

Today on Lever Time, David Sirota sits down with two of America’s leading experts on the health care system, Larry Levitt and Miranda Yaver, who are sounding the alarm about insurance rate increases. We explore the reasons why the Trump administration is making it harder for Americans to pay for their health insurance — and how the coming perfect storm threatens to sink the Affordable Care Act.

To read the KFF study referenced in this episode, click here.

Click here for a full transcript of the episode.

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Today, we’re sharing an episode from our friends over at Scene On Radio, the Peabody-nominated documentary podcast that asks big questions about who we are and how we got this way. This is the premiere episode of its season seven series, “Capitalism,” which explores the rise of the world’s dominant economic system — and examines why the concept is now being questioned in ways it hasn’t been in decades.

If you’d like to keep listening to Scene On Radio, visit sceneonradio.org.

We'll be back in a few days with a new episode of Lever Time.

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Men are struggling with friendships and feeling lonelier than ever. The male loneliness epidemic is seeping into many facets of life — including mental health, the economy, and American politics — but why are guys having such a hard time making and keeping friends?

Today on Lever Time, David Sirota sits down with journalist Sam Graham-Felsen to explore the collapse of male friendship — and why this quiet crisis has deeper political and social ramifications than anyone wants to admit.

You can read Sam Graham-Felsen’s New York Times article referenced in this episode here.

A transcript of the episode is available here.

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To leave a tip for The Lever, click here. It helps us do this kind of independent journalism.