Stephanomics

The Affordable Care Act is back in the news, as insurers around the nation complain they're losing money in exchanges designed to bring health coverage to millions of Americans. A host of economic woes have been ascribed to Obamacare, including a higher incidence of part-time work and sour business sentiment, which opponents cite as evidence the federal government shouldn't have tried to remake the health insurance market. Supporters, meantime, argue the law achieved its primary goals and just needs further refinement. They also point to a jobless rate of 5 percent and ask how on earth can it be hurting employment? For both sides of the story, Tori and Dan are joined by Kathleen Sebelius, the former secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services who helped shepherd the law through Congress, and Jim Capretta, a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center who has spent more than two decades studying U.S. health care policy.

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Japan's been having a tough time lately. The central bank used unorthodox tools to jumpstart growth -- and has little to show for it. It's closing in on deflationary territory. And now, the nation also has to worry about a strengthening yen, which has the potential to worsen both those issues. Dan and Tori discuss Japan's options, joined by Bloomberg reporter Toru Fujioka on the ground in Tokyo, and Jeff Young, co-founder and chief economist at DeepMacro LLC.

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The Federal Reserve has two mandates: price stability and full employment. Yet now many wonder whether the Fed, like many large and powerful organizations, has outsourced policy. And no, we're not talking about China or Mexico -- but rather to the financial markets. Instead of setting policy and letting markets respond, are investors really in the driver's seat? Is the Fed merely following their cue? Bloomberg's Rich Miller discusses the new dynamic with Dan, while Bob Burgess and Madeleine Lim try to let him know who's boss.

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It seems as if everywhere you turn these days you hear the same refrain: The rich are getting richer at the expense of the poor. Economists blame everything from from technology to globalization and tax policies. Now you here's another reason: The rise of associative mating, or when people marry others who share the same educational or socioeconomic status. So how can we fix who we fall in love with? Richard Reeves of the Brookings Institution joins Aki and Tori to discuss the latest research, the downside of online dating and what the future holds for social mobility across the world.

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Home prices are surging around the world and in many of our favorite U.S. cities. It doesn't get much worse than tech-fueled San Francisco, where the price of a single starter home will fetch you 40 houses in Detroit. What can the rest of the world learn from the Bay Area? Ken Rosen of UC Berkeley joins Tori and Aki to discuss, and offers Aki some tips as she prepares to move back to California from Japan.

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Yes, women in Saudi Arabia know how to drive. They can vote, at least in local elections. And every Saudi citizen, men and women, may be about to see the end of generous, oil-driven subsidies that explain a lack of income taxes and utility costs so low as to be practically free. Change is coming to the House of Saud -- and it's accelerating as the most destructive crash in oil prices in a generation forces the Kingdom's rulers to reset the economy.

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As U.S. election rhetoric reaches a fever pitch, politicians aren't the only ones taking a stand on issues. Some of the biggest brands around -- Chipotle, Chick-fil-A and Apple -- are wading into politics, a behavior that may only intensify as November approaches. Georgetown researchers Kurt Carlson and Chris Hydock join Tori to discuss the economic consequences companies face when they take a position on divisive issues, and how it's easier than ever for consumers to vote with their wallets.

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Worries about China's slowdown have dominated headlines since the beginning of the year. But beneath the day-to-day volatility is a simmering crisis: A rapidly aging population and an already shrinking workforce. Enda Curran, Bloomberg's chief Asia economics correspondent, joins Aki to discuss what these demographic trends will mean for a country still in the midst of transitioning from a developing to developed economy, and how China won't be alone in facing the consequences of an older society.

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Presidential candidates including Donald Trump, Bernie Sanders and Jeb Bush have touted plans that will inspire growth twice as fast as what the U.S. has seen during the recovery. But can they actually follow through on those promises, or is the U.S. consigned to expansions that pale in comparison to decades past? Jason Furman, chairman of President Barack Obama's Council of Economic Advisers, joins Tori and Dan to discuss how fast the economy can expect to grow given population and productivity trends, and whether that changes the reality of the American Dream.

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India has the world's fastest-growing major economy and a population that's on course to be the world's largest -- eclipsing China -- within a decade. The nation's leaders are just as ambitious, launching the global "Make in India" campaign to buttress its status as a manufacturing powerhouse for cars, electronics and engineering equipment. Maybe you've seen the billboards in Hannover or San Francisco. It's the sort of issue that Prime Minister Narendra Modi campaigned on two years ago. He won in a landslide of epic proportions, but since then much of his agenda has stalled. What's holding India back? Bloomberg's Unni Krishnan, who covers Indian politics and economics in New Delhi, joins us this week to explain.

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