Open enrollment is around the corner, which means soon it will be time to pick your health insurance again. And you may ask yourself: Why do we do it this way? In 2022, almost 55 percent of Americans got their insurance through an employer, meaning that your employment status and where you work are major factors in the kind of coverage you get. This week on The Weeds, we go back in time with Senior Correspondent Dylan Scott about why our insurance is so tied to where we work. 

Read More:

The Vox guide to open enrollment 

Why you're stuck with your company's health insurance plan 

Vox explores health care systems around the world in Everybody Covered (2020) 

The Weeds: Three roads to universal coverage (2020) 

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Credits:

Jonquilyn Hill, host

Sofi LaLonde, producer

Cristian Ayala, engineer

A.M. Hall, editorial director of talk podcasts

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What will American politics look like after Trump? Sean Illing is joined by Sohrab Ahmari to discuss his new book, Tyranny, Inc. Ahmari is one of the conservative intellectuals trying to map out a post-Trump future for the Republican Party, and his book is an attempt to justify a form of democratic socialism from the right. The two discuss whether his vision could ever be the basis for a broader coalition.

Host: Sean Illing (@seanilling), host, The Gray Area

Guest: Sohrab Ahmari (@SohrabAhmari), author, Tyranny, Inc.

References: 

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Congress narrowly avoided a government shutdown when it passed a bill funding the government for the next 45 days. And while keeping the government open is a good thing, Congress just kicked the can down the road. The bill didn’t actually resolve the big-picture budget fight, and certainly didn’t solve the inevitable problem of political fights delaying the appropriations process. Molly Reynolds, senior fellow at The Brookings Institution, explains why Congress does the budget this way and what could be done to fix it. 

Read More:

Government shutdown 2023: House Republicans divided on stopgap bill with days to go - Vox 

Congress just avoided a shutdown. Kevin McCarthy's fight is just beginning - Vox 

How did Congress avoid a shutdown, and what happens now? - Vox 

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Credits:

Jonquilyn Hill, host

Sofi LaLonde, producer

Cristian Ayala, engineer

A.M. Hall, editorial director of talk podcasts

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Earlier this month, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said the current migrant crisis would “destroy the city.” Since April 2022, more than 115,000 migrants have arrived in New York City, many fleeing hardship from their home countries. In response, the Biden administration granted Temporary Protected Status to Venezuelan migrants. But while the move may provide some immediate relief to migrants seeking work authorization, some experts worry that it won’t fix the root of the problem: the broken US immigration system. 

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New York City’s migrant surge, explained — Vox 

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Credits:

Fabiola Cineas, host

Sofi LaLonde, producer

Cristian Ayala, engineer

A.M. Hall, editorial director of talk podcasts

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Summer is over, school is back, and the Supreme Court is getting ready for a new term. The term starts in early October, and the docket is stacked. Host Jonquilyn Hill sits down with Vox senior correspondent Ian Millhiser to get into the major cases the court will hear this term.

Read More:

The Supreme Court will spend its new term cleaning up after rogue MAGA judges — Vox 

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Jonquilyn Hill, host

Sofi LaLonde, producer

Cristian Ayala, engineer

A.M. Hall, editorial director of talk podcasts

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No matter where you live in the US, this summer was hot. Extremely hot. Temperatures soared all over the country, breaking records almost daily. Even Arizona saw unprecedented heat: Phoenix baked under 110º heat for 31 days straight, with little to no relief at night. The extreme heat poses a grave threat to workers in America, both indoor and outdoor, because there are few to no heat-related protections for workers. It asks the question: Whose responsibility is it to keep us cool?

Read More:

Extreme heat is giving us a glimpse at the dangerous future of work | Vox

Laws don't protect outdoor workers from heat. Advocates say the consequences are deadly 

Heat is not classified as a natural disaster. Arizona officials say that needs to change

Workers exposed to extreme heat have no consistent protection in the US | AP News 

More from David Michaels: 

The Triumph of Doubt: Dark Money and the Science of Deception

Doubt Is Their Product: How industry’s Assault on Science Threatens Your Health

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Credits:

Jonquilyn Hill, host

Sofi LaLonde, producer

Cristian Ayala, engineer

A.M. Hall, editorial director of talk podcasts

Special thanks to Katelyn Bogucki

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The problem of school lunch debt is not a new one. But during the early days of the Covid-19 public health emergency, Congress had a solution: universal free school lunch. Suddenly, federal waivers were available to public schools around the country, and food insecurity in at-risk households dropped by 7 percent. But, like many other Covid-era policies, it lapsed. And while some states moved to make universal free lunch permanent, many didn’t. Vox senior correspondent Anna North (@annanorthtweets) explains.

Read More:

The return of “lunch debt”: Why schools and families are facing a food crisis - Vox 

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In case you missed it, Donald Trump was indicted once again, this time for his attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election in Georgia. But this indictment is different from the others, because it involves a RICO charge. RICO, short for Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations, is most commonly used to prosecute organized crime. These cases can also be exceedingly complicated, and often take months to even make it to trial. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis wants to see a trial date within six months, but is that too ambitious? Stanford law professor David Sklansky (@d_a_sklansky) explains.

Read More:

Trump's 4 indictments, ranked by the stakes - Vox 

Georgia Trump indictment: The 5 conspiracies at its heart - Vox 

Florida man indicted (again) (again) (again) - Today, Explained 

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Erica Huang, engineer

A.M. Hall, editorial director of talk podcasts

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In early July, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott installed a chain of buoys and barbed wire in the Rio Grande as part of his “Operation Lone Star” plan to crack down on illegal border crossings. Then, a few days later, the Justice Department filed a lawsuit in response to the floating buoy border. The DOJ is using an obscure 1899 law called the Rivers and Harbors Act as the legal basis for this suit, claiming the border obstructs navigable waterways. Will that be enough for the DOJ to force Abbott to remove the buoys? Weeds host Jonquilyn Hill asks Texas A&M law professor Gabriel Eckstein and Texas Tribune reporter Uriel García to find out. 

Read More:

Biden is taking Texas to court over its floating border barrier

Eagle Pass residents sour on Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's Operation Lone Star 

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Jonquilyn Hill, host

Katelyn Bogucki, producer

Sofi LaLonde, producer

Cristian Ayala, engineer

A.M. Hall, editorial director of talk podcasts

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Finding a therapist can be exhausting. Between connecting with a clinician you like and locating someone who takes your insurance, it can be a daunting process. And despite a 2008 law that requires parity between mental and physical health care, insurers have found workarounds. Now, the Biden administration is moving to strengthen the parity law to make it easier for folks to access mental health care. Will it work? Vox’s Dylan Scott explains.  

Read More:

Why it’s so hard to get health insurance to pay for therapy - Vox 

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Credits:

Jonquilyn Hill, host

Sofi LaLonde, producer

Cristian Ayala, engineer

A.M. Hall, editorial director of talk podcasts

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