🩺 Visualizing a rising cost of care | Morning Newsletter
And another fatal crash in Northwest Philly.
The Morning Newsletter
Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter
Hi, Philly. We’ll see sun today after the region avoided the worst of yesterday’s storm.
Affordable Care Act tax credits are set to expire at the end of this year, unless they’re renewed or replaced. See how health insurance premiums are estimated to rise across the region, depending on where someone lives, how old they are, and what they earn.
And a man died driving on Northwest Philadelphia’s winding, wet roads. The neighborhood has tried to address the danger for decades.
Plus, Chester County might be the only Philly suburb not raising taxes next year. Read on for a preview of Inquirer Chester County, the free weekly newsletter launching today.
— Julie Zeglen (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
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Have a health insurance plan through Pennie in Pennsylvania, Get Covered NJ in New Jersey, or Healthcare.gov in Delaware? You could see costs rise dramatically in 2026 after Congress failed to renew the financial incentive program during the budget negotiations that prompted this fall’s government shutdown.
If Congress does not approve an extension of the tax credits, monthly premiums for some could increase fivefold, but the amount depends on factors such as age, income, and county of residence. Consider these cases:
Case study #1: A 27-year-old Philadelphia resident who makes $35,000 a year could go from paying $86 to $218.
Case study #2: A 60-year-old Camden County resident who makes $65,000 could go from paying $461 to $1,157.
Use our tool to see how much you’ll pay for health insurance if ACA tax credits expire.
Chestnut Hill and Mount Airy residents have for years sounded the alarm about dangerous — and, in at least five cases since 2019, deadly — driving conditions on the winding Lincoln Drive.
The latest fatal accident occurred on Sunday: A 65-year-old man died after crashing his car on Cresheim Valley Drive, which intersects with Lincoln.
The Streets Department has installed some traffic-calming measures to improve safety along the area’s roadways. Neighbors want to see more. Most urgently, that includes the repair of the downed guardrail that failed to prevent this weekend’s crash.
Reporter Henry Savage has more on residents’ pleas and the city’s efforts.
What you should know today
As a Fox News contributor in 2016, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth cited the same military law as the lawmakers he’s now calling seditious, unearthed recordings show.
A Philadelphia highway patrol officer has died after a prolonged coma. Andy Chan, 48, was hospitalized in 2019 with a brain injury after a motorcycle crash.
A Wilmington man who planned to target the University of Delaware campus police station with firearms was arrested last week and charged with federal weapons crimes, authorities said.
A Pottstown man who shot a police officer who came to his home to respond to a domestic violence incident last year was sentenced Tuesday to decades in state prison.
City Council on Tuesday amended the initial budget for Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s signature housing initiative by allotting more housing funds to the poorest Philadelphians.
The William Way LGBT Community Center will return to its Center City building after renovations are completed, leaders said Tuesday, instead of permanently leaving as previously announced.
A former Cherry Hill principal claims says he did not engage in discriminatory behavior or retaliate against a former employee following a lawsuit filed earlier this year.
Blackfish BYOB’s 19-year run in Conshohocken will end New Year’s Eve, as chef-owner Chip Roman says he’s following a “bigger purpose.” And in Rittenhouse, Revolution Taco, owned by Carolyn Nguyen, will close to become Carolyn’s Modern Vietnamese.
Inquirer Chester County launches today. Below is a peek at what you can expect from the free, weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get your guide to the news, stories, and events shaping life in your community.
Chester County residents may be the only ones in Philadelphia’s suburbs to dodge a property tax hike in 2026.
While the county’s proposed budget for next year has a 4.7% spending increase, officials don’t expect to pass that on to taxpayers. That’s thanks to non-personnel budget cuts initiated earlier this year across departments, as well as delayed projects.
While still navigating financial uncertainty, the bipartisan Chester County Board of Commissioners tasked officials with holding “the line in terms of tax increases,” county CEO David Byerman said. The budget is expected to pass doing just that.
Reporter Katie Bernard has more on how the county maintained property taxes for 2026.
🧠 Trivia time
Which Delaware County university has entered an agreement to buy nearly half of the Valley Forge Military Academy property?
A) Villanova University
B) Neumann University
C) Widener University
D) Eastern University
Think you know? Check your answer.
What we’re...
🚌 Supporting: Quinta Brunson’s field trip fund for Philly public school students.
🏕️ Humming: “Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah!” ahead of this Allan Sherman tribute.
🍽️ Congratulating: Fishtown’s Emmett, named one of Esquire’s Best New Restaurants.
🏡 Noting: This professional home appraiser’s explanation of the appraisal process.
🕊️ Considering: How Philly’s faith communities are showing up for immigrants.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: In Bucks County
SHINY NAME
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here.
Cheers to Jack Falkenbach, who solved Tuesday’s anagram: Logan Circle. The Center City park will have new sidewalks, ADA ramps, and a restored fountain this spring following a monthslong construction project.
Photo of the day
Get your winter fashion on and have a good one. I’ll see you back here tomorrow morning.
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