Author: Marketplace

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act is projected to cut Medicaid spending by more than $1 trillion. The law changes eligibility rules, and some predictions estimate at least 10.5 million people will be eliminated from the program.

“For some adults, Medicaid will step in and help pay for care at home, or if care at home is not available, for care in nursing homes,” said Rachel Werner, executive director of the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics at the University of Pennsylvania. “With the cuts to Medicaid funding, we are expecting that the availability of care in both of those settings will diminish, and it will be harder for people to get the care they need to live independently.”

States will have to respond to the changes by either making up the funding gap or reducing services.

On the show today, Werner explains how the funding cuts could limit the caregiving options for older Americans who need at-home care and place a larger responsibility on their families. Plus, we discuss how to start planning for long-term care amid all the legislative changes.

Then, we’ll celebrate a listener’s win about her chocolate lab puppy. And, another listener’s quest to find life on Mars.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• “How Medicaid Cuts Could Force Millions Into Nursing Homes” from The Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics at the University of Pennsylvania
• “Advocates warn that Medicaid cuts in the big budget law put home-based health care at risk” from Marketplace
• “New AARP Report: Majority of Adults 50-plus Want to Age in Place, But Policies and Communities Must Catch Up” from AARP
• “A Closer Look at the Medicaid Work Requirement Provisions in the “Big Beautiful Bill” from KFF
• “Medicaid cuts: The how and why” from the newsletter Your Local Epidemiologist
• “As the need for nursing homes grows, nurses are in short supply” from Marketplace

We love hearing from you. Leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART or email makemesmart@marketplace.org.

New tariff threats are piling up. The president has threatened higher tariffs on goods from the EU and on anyone who trades with Russia. The EU is preparing retaliatory tariffs in response. Stuck in the middle of this tariff whirlwind are small businesses. Today, we check in with the owner of a Virginia tea shop to discover how her store is faring. But first, this morning's consumer price index shows accelerating price increases. Plus, from Marketplace’s “The Age of Work” series, we hear a story about aging and one family business in London.

The Texas economy is among the most vulnerable in the country when it comes to the threat of escalating tariffs. While much of the focus has been on trade with Mexico due to tightly integrated supply chains, the future of European trade with Texas is also uncertain. We'll hear what's at stake. Plus, Nvidia can sell chips in China again, and, from Marketplace's "How We Survive," we'll learn what the big tax cut and spending law means for the climate crisis.

From the BBC World Service: President Donald Trump says he backs NATO now that countries in the military alliance boosted funding. The president's comments are part of a wide-ranging exclusive interview with the BBC and follow a threat of tariffs for Russia if there's no ceasefire with Ukraine in 50 days. We'll hear a bit of the conversation. Then, China's economy has outpaced expectations despite pressure from tariffs, and Tesla is set to launch operations in India.

Marketplace’s Meghan McCarty Carino speaks with Adam Aleksic, author of the new book “Algospeak: How Social Media Is Transforming the Future of Language." He’s a trained linguist and also an influencer who goes by the handle "Etymology Nerd" online. True to his name, he told us what he means when he uses the term “algospeak.”

Listener Cecilia wrote in to ask: “Why does organic food cost more than non organic food?” And she's right! Certified organic foods do usually cost more than other options. Bridget and Ryan dive into the question with the help of Stephanie Hughes, Marketplace's reporter on the organic farming beat. Ryan's inspired to try his own hand at organic farming ... but will his crops be able to survive an attack of horn worms, a stampede of chickens and a dustbowl to turn a profit at the farmer’s market?

After you listen to this episode, be sure to check out our website. We’ve got conversation starters and tips!

This episode is sponsored by Greenlight. Sign up for Greenlight today at greenlight.com/million.

Up and down the supply chain, companies are facing a dilemma: Should they absorb tariff surcharges and keep prices down, or pass on the cost to customers, and risk losing business? Most are taking a mixed approach. In this episode, how firms are negotiating — and communicating — higher costs. Plus: Economists discuss what they’ll be looking for in tomorrow’s CPI, housing discrimination persists in the fine print of home deeds, and economists attempt to model the U.S. economy’s debt forecast.

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The Senate is expected to vote on President Donald Trump’s rescissions package this week, which proposes rescinding $9.4 billion in previously approved spending to several programs, including public media and foreign aid spending. We discuss how this could undermine the bipartisan process. Then, we take a look at Bitcoin trading at new record highs, as U.S. lawmakers prepare to pass new regulations on cryptocurrency. We explain the bills being proposed in what’s been dubbed “Crypto Week.” Plus, we hear listeners’ wins about a resurgence of monarch butterflies and a lifelong dream of clubbing in Berlin.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• “GOP leader faces showdown with Republicans on Trump-backed funding cuts” from The Hill
• “Schumer warns package to claw back funding would ‘poison’ annual spending talks” from The Hill
• “A Senate vote this week will test the popularity of DOGE spending cuts” from The Associated Press
• “Bitcoin Soars Past $120,000 as House Takes Up Crypto Bills” from The New York Times
• “‘Crypto Week’ on Capitol Hill” from Marketplace
• “Trump Rescission Proposal Builds on Illegal Impoundments, Would Undermine Future Funding Deals” from Center on Budget and Policy Priorities

We love hearing from you. Leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART or email makemesmart@marketplace.org.

Bitcoin hit a record $122,000 this morning as the House of Representatives ramps up for what's being called "Crypto Week," where lawmakers will be taking up three bills that could lay the foundation for how digital assets are regulated. We'll hear more about what to expect. And later, we'll unpack market reactions to daily swings in tariff policy and learn how China's rare earth metal dominance comes at a significant environmental cost.

This week, we get a few snapshots of what inflation is doing. Everyone wants to know when tariffs will start showing up in the overall data, because they mostly haven't yet, partly due to the Federal Reserve's tight monetary policy. But that doesn't mean tariffs aren't affecting the economy. We'll discuss. Also: how Europe is trying to keep U.S. trade tensions from boiling over, and where copper imports are being diverted ahead of looming tariffs.