Medicare

Aerial view of a container port on a narrow island, with a red-hulled ship stacked with containers moored beside large blue cranes, rows of containers and trailers on the quay, and a city skyline and smaller islands in the background.

How Washington Ran a $404 Billion Deficit in the First Month of Fiscal 2027: Customs Down $12 Billion, Defense and Medicare Up $51 Billion

The federal government ran a deficit of $404.1 billion in October 2026, the first month of fiscal year 2027, against $284.3 billion a year earlier, according to the Monthly Treasury Statement. Receipts fell 8.8 per cent to $368.9 billion and outlays rose 12.2 per cent to $773.0 billion. One month is a small and noisy sample.

By Margaret Holloway 3 hours ago

Prescription medication bottles on a white surface

Health

The Government Is Paying $50 a Month for Ozempic. Insurers Are Not Keeping Up.

Medicare launched its GLP-1 Bridge program in July, covering weight-loss drugs for certain enrollees at a $50 monthly copay. Meanwhile, commercial insurers have moved in the opposite direction — the number of people without coverage for Zepbound grew by 17 million in 2026. The gap between what the drugs cost and what payers will cover is widening.

By Margaret Holloway October 9, 2026

Tagged stories

How Washington Ran a $404 Billion Deficit in the First Month of Fiscal 2027: Customs Down $12 Billion, Defense and Medicare Up $51 Billion

The Government Is Paying $50 a Month for Ozempic. Insurers Are Not Keeping Up.