Long COVID is likely keeping a lot of Americans out of the workforce, experts say, — and that could continue for years as people struggle with persistent health problems.
The big picture: Long COVID isn't confined to older patients, and its symptoms can vary. The U.S. also doesn't have particularly strong support systems for people who need long-term COVID treatment.
Economy-wide inflation has outpaced health care inflation by a wide margin since last April, but Americans should expect health care prices to rise more soon.
The big picture: Companies can raise the prices of food, furniture and other commodities immediately. That's not how it works in health care, where prices are set by government programs or negotiated with private insurers in advance and are reflected in economic data later.
The nation's first stretch of road to wirelessly charge electric vehicles while they're in motion will begin testing next year in Detroit.
Why it matters: "Electrified" roadways, which have wireless charging infrastructure under the asphalt, could keep EVs operating around the clock, with unlimited range — a big deal for transit buses, delivery vans, long-haul trucks and even future robotaxis.
Housing is probably going to keep getting more and more expensive, despite the Fed's efforts to cool the market.
The big picture: The supply of houses for sale plunged to record lows in recent months — and even if you can win the bidding war for one of them, the cost of a mortgage is on the rise.
It's not exactly the "great resignation," but more like the "great reorganization": Millions of Americans want to quit their jobs, but many of them would happily stay at their companies in different positions.
What's happening: 1 in 3 candidates who sought out a new job in the past year searched internally within their organization first, according to a new report from the consulting firm Gartner.
Employers are beefing up benefits packages to lure workers in a tight labor market, and many are adding pricey fertility benefits — such as in-vitro fertilization and egg freezing — to their offerings.
Why it matters: Benefits around fertility and family-building have long been overlooked by employer health care plans, but that's rapidly changing.
Quick take: The ever-present smell of disinfectant is a thing of the past. Clorox’s health and wellness sales — which includes its cleaning business — fell 21% year-over-year in the quarter ending Dec. 31.
Roughly a third of the nation's 620,000 bridges — 36% — need major repair work or replacement, a new report finds.
Why it matters: Deferred maintenance, climate change and heavier-than-anticipated traffic are causing bridges to wear out earlier than expected, and engineers say not enough is being done to keep drivers safe.
