Losing affordable coverage could undo years of progress in closing racial gaps in health insurance. The Economic Policy Institute (EPI) estimates that ending the subsidies may leave 170,000 Black Americans without insurance, make Black households pay $740 million more each year, and lead to over 200 preventable deaths annually in cities like Atlanta, Houston, Dallas, and Miami.
The economic consequences don’t end there for these cities, which are home to large Black populations. The EPI projects that these metropolises will lose more than $1.9 billion a year as healthcare costs choke out consumer spending. The ripple effect: shrinking Black household budgets that squeeze necessities like food, rent, and childcare while stifling the ability to save and build wealth. The impact is expected to intensify long-standing economic inequalities, further eroding a fragile middle class.
The Root
January 12, 2026
The changes will add $5 billion to the pockets of more than 8.3 million workers, the Economic Policy Institute estimated in December. Critics note that minimum wage hikes increase costs for businesses, which might fire, or not hire, employees.
If $5 billion does not sound all that significant, consider this detail from EPI: “For the first time, there will be more workers in states with a $15 or greater minimum wage than in states with the federal minimum.” The federal minimum hourly wage has been locked at $7.25 since 2009.
U.S. News & World Report
January 12, 2026
For the first time, more workers now live in states that pay $15 or higher per hour than those that have kept the $7.25 minimum, according to an analysis by the Economic Policy Institute, which estimated the number of workers affected by this year’s increases.
Wall Street Journal
January 12, 2026
Workers in New Jersey will see more money in their paychecks in 2026. Starting on Jan. 1, the minimum wage in New Jersey increased by 43 cents per hour for most employees, bringing it to $15.92. New Jersey is one of 19 states that raised the minimum wage in 2026, affecting about 8.3 million workers nationwide, according to the left-leaning Economic Policy Institute.
ROI NJ
January 12, 2026
More than 30 states and municipalities have implemented minimum wage increases above the federal pay rate, which has not budged since 2009. More than 8.3 million workers are expected to benefit, which collectively will add up to an estimated $5 billion in earnings nationwide, according to a report by the Economic Policy Institute.
MaineBiz
January 12, 2026
More than 8.3 million workers are expected to benefit from increases in 19 states, according to a December report from the Economic Policy Institute. The organization estimates the changes will add about $5billion in earnings nationwide.
HR Grapevine
January 12, 2026
According to the Economic Policy Institute, “Right-to-Work” states generally have lower wages and are less likely to have health care and pensions than non-Right-to-Work states.
Cardinal News (Virginia)
January 12, 2026
According to the Economic Policy Institute, Arizona legislators underestimated the cost of their voucher program by tenfold. It was initially projected to cost $65 million and is now upwards of $708 million. The overruns are now leading to astate budget crisis.
KERA
January 12, 2026
“It’s a huge conflict of interest that sponsors are supposed to be labor recruiters and then employment law enforcers,” said Daniel Costa, the director of Immigration Law and Policy Research at the Economic Policy Institute. “Sponsors have a financial incentive to take the side of the employer. The young people come and go, but the employers are a relationship the sponsors have to keep forever.”
He added: “It’s a recipe for disaster.”
New York Times
January 12, 2026