12/19/2025 4:00:00 PM                Ryan Knutson      Wall Street Journal podcast – “The Journal”

It's Almost 2026. How’s the Economy?

The Middle Class Is Buckling Under Almost Five Years of Persistent Inflation

Workers growing tired of economy in which everything seems to get more expensive

By Rachel Louise Ensign and Rachel Wolfe     Updated Nov. 21, 2025

https://www.wsj.com/personal-finance/the-middle-class-is-buckling-under-almost-five-years-of-persistent-inflation-4d783aee?mod=Searchresults&pos=1&page=1

United Health Care is the largest:

https://www.ama-assn.org/press-center/ama-press-releases/ama-report-health-insurance-giants-tighten-grip-us-markets

https://www.visualcapitalist.com/the-biggest-health-insurance-giants-in-america/

The stock ticker symbol for United Health Care is UNH.

UnitedHealth Group 2024 Profits Hit $14 Billion Despite Cyberattack, Rising Costs

https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucejapsen/2025/01/16/unitedhealth-group-2024-profits-hit-14-billion-despite-cyberattack-rising-costs/

RomneyCare was mentioned in the context of health insurance approaches.

https://obamacarefacts.com/romneycare-romneyhealthcare/

COBRA, a way to continue employer health insurance coverage after leaving a job, stands for Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act.  It can last for up to 18 months after job loss.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consolidated_Omnibus_Budget_Reconciliation_Act_of_1985

In this inaugural episode of The American Wallet, Gordon Blake and Peter S. Martin explore the relationship between recent tariffs, imposed on the United States in 2025, and taxation, starting with Tea Party.