Wednesday, July 8, 2026
Another Wave Of Double-Digit Obamacare Rate Hikes Coming For 2027
Health insurers selling individual coverage under the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, are proposing another year of double-digit percentage premium increases for 2027, a new KFF analysis shows.
A snapshot of rate filings with regulators in 16 states and Washington, D.C. shows health insurers submitting a "median premium increase of 14% for 2027," KFF said. The submissions come from 77 insurers in the states that have submitted rate filings so far, KFF said one week before the July 15 deadline for health insurance companies to submit their proposed premiums for next year.
"If these early indications of median premium, increases for 2027 hold, typical premiums for insurers participating in the ACA marketplaces will have jumped by more than one-third over a two-year period," the analysis, available on The Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker, said. "These preliminary filings provide insight into the factors insurers expect to drive health costs for the coming year. Among the key drivers, insurers cite the rising cost of health services, the expiration of the enhanced premium tax credits, and some federal regulatory changes."
To be sure, enhanced premium tax credits expired at the end of 2025 after the Republican-led Congress and the Donald Trump White House refused to extend them. And that has led to a "58% average increase in out-of-pocket premiums in 2026 and deductibles of about $1,000 more per person."
Meanwhile, the end of the enhanced premium tax credits has led to more than 2 million Americans dropping coverage this year and created turbulence in the health insurance market. Already, several health insurers have decided to stop selling Obamacare.
In April, The Cigna Group disclosed plans to exit the Obamacare market, leaving about 369,00 health plan members in 11 states looking for new coverage in 2027. Meanwhile, Centene earlier that month said its Obamacare , enrollment tumbled by 2 million enrollees to 3.58 million at the end of the first quarter compared to 5.54 million at the end of last year and 5.62 million in the first quarter of last year.
UnitedHealth Group's UnitedHealthcare said its Obamacare enrollment was down as well, falling to 1.4 million from 1.7 million last year. And a year ago, CVS Health announced plans to exit the individual health insurance business, leaving about 1 million Aetna members in 17 states looking for new coverage for this year.
The smaller pool of Americans buying Obamacare also contributes to higher premiums.
"Insurers are now building 2027 rates on top of that adjusted, less-healthy risk pool – compounding the effect into next year's premiums as well," the KFF analysis said.
https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/another-wave-double-digit-obamacare-090000406.html
Chemomab Therapeutics to merge with Scipher Medicine in all-stock deal
to form Scipher Medicine Corporation
- Chemomab holders expected to own about 32% of the combined company and receive contingent value rights.
- Transaction structure includes a concurrent $30 million financing alongside the all-stock merger agreement.
- Combined company will focus on advancing nebokitug into an AI-guided Phase 2 rheumatoid arthritis trial.
BioStem: 4 U.S. Design Patents Covering Fenestrated Human Placental Allograft Tech
Company Continues to Expand Intellectual Property Portfolio Supporting Advanced Placental Allograft Innovation
BioStem Technologies, Inc. (OTCID:BSEM), a leading regenerative medicine company focused on the development, manufacturing, and commercialization of perinatal tissue allograft products, today announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has issued four U.S. design patents covering the Company's proprietary fenestrated human placental allograft technologies.
The newly issued patents strengthen BioStem's intellectual property portfolio and provide additional protection for innovative allograft designs in surgical and wound care applications.
U.S. Patent No. D1131805: FENESTRATED HUMAN PLACENTAL ALLOGRAFT
The patent is directed to fenestrated human placental allograft designs intended to improve conformability, fluid transfer and handling characteristics during clinical use. The technology supports applications in surgical and wound care environments where enhanced drainage, flexibility and tissue integration may help optimize placement and healing outcomes.
U.S. Patent No. D1130758: FENESTRATED HUMAN PLACENTAL ALLOGRAFT
The patent is directed to fenestrated human placental allograft designs that facilitate fluid management. The design supports use in surgical and wound care settings where effective drainage is important.
U.S. Patent No. D1130759: FENESTRATED HUMAN PLACENTAL ALLOGRAFT
The patent is directed to fenestrated allograft designs that preserve the structural integrity of amniotic and chorion tissues while supporting moisture management in complex wound environments.
U.S. Patent No. D1130760: FENESTRATED HUMAN PLACENTAL ALLOGRAFT
The patent is directed to fenestrated allograft designs that enable controlled fluid passage to support wound drainage and overall wound management across a range of applications.
"These newly issued patents represent another important step in strengthening the intellectual property foundation supporting our placental-derived allograft technologies," said Jason Matuszewski, Chairman and CEO of BioStem Technologies. "Protecting the innovations behind our products helps support our long-term growth strategy while reinforcing our commitment to advancing regenerative medicine through differentiated technologies designed to improve patient care."
The four patents further expand BioStem's growing intellectual property portfolio, which includes more than 100 patents and patent applications worldwide. BioStem continues to invest in innovation across placental tissue processing, preservation technologies, and allograft designs as it develops next-generation products for wound care and surgical applications.
BioStem's proprietary processing technologies are designed to optimize preservation of the innate structural and biological characteristics of placental tissues, supporting their use in a variety of clinical applications, including surgical and wound care procedures.
Prime Medicine wins arbitration with Beam
Prime Medicine wins arbitration with Beam Therapeutics confirming PM647 is within licensed field with no monetary damages owed
- Company reiterates plans to file an IND/CTA for its AATD program in Q3 2026.
Trump Tells Bessent To Halt US Trade With Spain, Calls Madrid A "Wasted Cause"
During a NATO summit in Ankara, President Trump instructed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to cut off trade with Spain over defense spending.
"I didn't speak to Spain. Spain is a wasted cause. We don't want to do any trade business with Spain anymore," Trump told reporters.
"By the way, I'd like you to cut it off," the president said, turning to Bessent, who replied: "Yes, sir."
Trump then added, "Take it immediately. Don't even talk to them. They're hopeless. They're bad people ... They make so much money with us, and we're going to make sure they make a lot less."
Trump told NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte that Spain "doesn't agree to anything, and you shouldn't carry them."
Rutte later tried to ease tensions by saying that Madrid "made a huge step last year" by raising its spending to 2%, although he added that "there are still issues we have to solve".
Important to note: Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is a socialist and has been sharply critical of Trump's foreign policy, including denying US military access to Spanish bases during the US-Iran campaign.
Spain is also the world's largest olive oil exporter.
How Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will follow through on Trump's order to halt trade with Spain remains unclear.
However, if trade restrictions materialize, US olive oil importers may have to rethink their supply chains and look more aggressively to Italy, Tunisia, Portugal, and Greece as alternatives to Spanish suppliers.
NATO Chief Backs Renewed US Strikes On Iran As 'Absolutely Necessary'
Even if most individual NATO members are still reluctant to jump on board Trump's Iran war, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte is busy praising American military action there amid the annual summit in Ankara.
Rutte has freshly described the overnight fresh US military strikes on Iran in response to Tehran attacking multiple international shipping vessels "absolutely necessary". Rutte voiced agreement with Trump that Iran's actions violated the MoU ceasefire agreement with the US, which required a response.
"When you have a ceasefire and Iran is basically violating the ceasefire, I think it is totally crucial that the US forcefully react," Rutte told reporters.
The new US actions resulted in a swift Iranian response, in the form of Iranian drones and missiles on Kuwait and Bahrain, which the latter country decried as a "dangerous escalation".
"The era of bullying and extortion is over," Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf wrote on X. "It leads nowhere. We don’t fold."
As we reported earlier, President Trump has called the Iranians "scum" and declared the ceasefire "over": "To me, I think it's over. I don't want to deal with them anymore; they're scum," Trump told reporters.
All this naturally brings up the question of 'what's next?'
Certainly the Iranians seem in the mood for a fight, and Washington feels it can't let attacks on international shipping slide - so all for this could portend a return to all-out war.
It's been 129 days since the start of Operation Epic Fury - a conflict which US officials had promised would be 'fast' - and the public has been 'assured' it is not a quagmire. Yet here we are.
As for Rutte, it's unclear what his strategy for Iran, if any, might be. He's clearly trying to keep Trump happy, playing Trump whisperer in Turkey, vis-a-vis the NATO alliance and its continued funding. Here was some Trump commentary on NATO 'unity' in Ankara:
“Spain is a terrible partner in NATO. They don’t participate. They don’t pay. I don’t want anything to do with Spain. Cut off all trade with Spain, please, including visits,” he said at a press conference in Ankara with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
Trump also reignited inter-alliance tensions when he resurfaced his desire to take control of Greenland, a territory of NATO member Denmark.
The NATO chief has also newly stated could be no doubt over the "complete commitment of the United States to NATO" - which he claimed also defends the United States and is thus invaluable.
"But there's also the expectation that the Europeans and the Canadians will equalize their spending with the United States, which I think is completely fair," he added.
"The good news is that this is the big win today. It's the loss for Putin, it is a win for President Trump that the Europeans and the Canadians are doing exactly that," Rutte said.
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/nato-chief-backs-renewed-us-strikes-iran-absolutely-necessary
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