Last year was the first year in which the Affordable Care Act's (ACA's) new health insurance exchanges were operating.  Starting in 2014, almost all Americans must now have health insurance or face a tax penalty.

Premiums varied widely.  Today's map shows the 10 most expensive health insurance markets for 2014.  Citizens can purchase a variety of plans from different private insurers.  The standard for comparison looks at Silver plans for a 40 year old non-smoker.  In 2014, the average monthly health insurance premium for a Silver plan for a non-smoking, 40 year old adult was $328/month.  Rates were lowest in 2014 in Minnesota and highest in western Colorado.

So, are there any patterns to markets with high or low premiums?  Yes.

*Some fairly wealthy areas such as western Connecticut and western Colorado have relatively healthy people but appear to be paying more.  Why?  I guess because insurers feel the markets in these areas can bear higher premiums.  That is just a guess.

*Other areas are a) remote with limited medical providers, b) are in areas where Americans are in fairly poor health, or c) both.  Georgia has the dubious honor of having 2 of the 10 most expensive markets in the country AND having the greatest disparities of any state between the high costs around Albany, GA, compared to the relatively lower costs in the Atlanta market.  Wyoming, northern Nevada, western Wisconsin, Alaska, and coastal Mississippi all have issues with few providers and/or sick populations.

*Vermont ranks in the 10 most expensive because of a policy in that state.  Unlike in other states which have opted to allow insurers to charge older residents more than younger people, Vermont law requires insurers to charge everyone regardless of age the same premium for the same plan.  As a result insurers increased premiums across the board in Vermont.

The new 2015 premiums came out in mid-November and there are relatively big fluctuations in premiums.  Minnesotans will be paying more.  Mississippians will pay less.  Overall prices nationally are either slightly down or steady after years of rapidly rising premiums.  The geography of premiums, however, continues to be sorted out as insurers and their actuaries figure out if they are charging enough to cover the health issues of their populations AND make a profit (since the Republican-invented ACA model relies on government subsidies and private insurance companies rather than the single-payer Democratic alternative).  It will likely be at least 3 years (circa 2017) before we can see more stable premium data as the system finds its groove.

Election 2014: Marijuana Laws

Recreational Marijuana:  Alaska, the District of Columbia, and Oregon on November 4th became the latest US jurisdictions to legalize recreational marijuana.  The vote in DC, however, must be approved by Congress so it may not go through.

Medical Marijuana:  The US territory of Guam also approved medical marijuana.  The majority of Florida voters did vote to approve medical marijuana in the Sunshine State, but the vote narrowly missed the 60% of votes cast needed to approve medical marijuana in Florida.

And Marriages Are Back in Alaska

The US Supreme Court lifted the stay on marriages in Alaska today so it goes back to blue.

The Rapidly Changing Marriage Map

As expected, the various states in the 9th, 10th, and 4th appellate circuits are catching up this week to those courts' rulings striking down bans on same sex marriage:

• Civil marriage for same sex couples is now legal in North Carolina.  South Carolina continues to fight the ruling, but the law is fairly clear that South Carolina must also abide by the 4th circuit's ruling.  
• In the 10th circuit a Wyoming judge has said he will rule by Monday on whether to strike down Wyoming's ban.  I'm not quite sure what is going on in Kansas.
• In the 9th an Alaskan judge struck down that state's ban. Couples began marrying but the state was able to get a temporary stay.  So it has gone from blue back to pink.  And in Arizona a judge ruled today there to strike down that state's ban and marriages are starting there.  Plaintiffs in Montana are seeking the court to affirm the 9th's decision applies to Montana too.  

And while court watchers have been waiting eagerly for the ruling from the 6th, we are still waiting.

Marriage Comes to Alaska

After a court ruling yesterday, civil marriage licenses are being issued to same-sex couples in Alaska today.  With Alaska there are now 30 states where same-sex couples can legally marry including now most of the West and 11 of the 13 original colonies.  Based on appellate decisions, 5 more states may have marriage soon.

Alaska to New Jersey

Are you more a city or country person?  Well, this map and the graph below can help you decide where to move.  In 2012 the median number of residents per square mile in the US was about 98 people per square mile.  Alaska on the other hand had just over 1 person pers square mile.  On the other extreme is DC with 9,927 people per square mile and New Jersey with 1,169 people per square mile.

The graph below may help you to better grasp the huge differences between Alaska and New Jersey.  If each of these blue squares is a square mile, then each person symbol represents the number of people per square mile in each of these two states and the median population density for the US as a whole.

I've been on the road this past week, so here is a newly updated marriage map with a number of changes:

a. There are now only three states without a lawsuit seeking same-sex civil marriage:  Montana, North Dakota, and Alaska.

b. Georgia finally came on board the marriage lawsuit train as has South Dakota.

c. The 6th Circuit Court issued a stay on a Tennessee judge's order for the Volunteer State to recognize three same-sex couples as legally married while their lawsuit progresses.

d. One of the handful of out gay Federal judges heard a lawsuit seeking to overturn that state's anti-marriage constitutional amendment and legalize civil marriages there.  The state's attorney general also feels the amendment is unconstitutional and so there is no one defending the law before the court.

e. Alaska's Supreme Court also ruled this week that the state's refusal to give the same tax exemptions to same-sex couples as it gives to opposite-sex couples was discriminatory and unconstitutional.

f. And finally an Idaho cemetery for veterans refused the request of an elderly lesbian veteran to be buried with the ashes of her late partner under the claim that Idaho's state constitution prohibited recognition of the couple as married.  This woman who lived her life serving our country responded that she has spent her life being discriminated against and guess that this would not end with her death.  Sad.

Vacant Homes

The Great Recession starting in 2008 hit the housing industry hard.  New constructions plummeted.  Foreclosures skyrocketed.  Displaced former owners moved into rental property.

This map shows a snapshot from the 2010 Census of the percentage of vacant properties in each state.  So, I'm not sure how much of this pattern results from the Great Recession.  California and Nevada for instance had a large number of foreclosed properties, but the percentages of vacant housing are low there for 2010.

After looking at the Census definitions, I think this pattern is driven largely by vacation homes which are absent during parts of the year.  Note that more than a fifth of housing units are vacant in Vermont and Maine.  I suspect that beach and winter vacation homes in Florida, Myrtle Beach (SC), and Rehoboth Beach (DE) as well as summer homes in New England, Montana, and Alaska produce this pattern.  I once visited Skagway, Alaska.  I recall being told that the town had over 1000 residents in the summer but only about 100 through the winter.

Same-sex Marriage Lawsuits: The Holdouts

17 states now have same-sex civil marriages.  The Federal government recognizes legal same-sex marriages regardless of in which state a couple live.

In all but 9 of the other states, there are now active lawsuits seeking the state benefits of marriage and the ability to marry in these states.  The 9 holdout states listed in order of 2013 estimated populations are:

• Ohio, 11.6 million*
• Georgia, 9.9 million
• Mississippi, 3 million
• Kansas, 2.9 million*
• Nebraska, 1.9 million*
• Montana, 1 million*
• South Dakota, 0.8 million
• Alaska, 0.7 million*
• North Dakota, 0.7 million

Those states with an asterisk ("*") do not currently have lawsuits directly seeking the legalization of same-sex marriage, but they do have pending lawsuits involving related issues such as listing spouses on death certificates, listing step-parents on birth certificates, recognition under workplace law, foster parenting, etc.  These related lawsuits could impact marriage legalization overall.

So, the real holdouts are the couples in Georgia, Mississippi, and the Dakotas who have yet to file suit.