ValuePenguin

New Mexico (51.4%), West Virginia (46.7%) and Louisiana (46.3%) have the highest public health insurance coverage rates. Navigating public health insurance can be overwhelming. Source: Getty Images Public health insurance is a cornerstone of the American healthcare system. Medicare and Medicaid accounted for more than $2 trillion in health spending in 2024, according to a ValuePenguin study, covering tens of millions of Americans across varying income levels, age groups and health statuses.

Higher-income adults are more likely to own firearms, but unsafe storage is disproportionately reported among lower-income gun owners and adults without children. Safe firearm storage plays a critical role in protecting both your household and your finances. Source: Getty Images Firearm ownership is a common part of life, but storage practices vary widely — often raising significant safety concerns.

Paying for health care can feel overwhelming, even for families with medical insurance. Premiums, deductibles and out-of-pocket costs continue to rise, and many households struggle to keep up. A ValuePenguin survey reveals that a substantial share of insured Americans take on debt to pay for medical expenses, including nearly half of parents with children younger than 18.

Typically, the buyer files home insurance claims during a rent-back period. A rent-back period is when a home buyer leases the home they just bought to the former owners for a short time, usually less than 60 days. The buyer's home insurance policy will usually cover damage to the property during this rent-back period. However, the old owner should buy renters insurance to cover their personal property and to protect them if something happens to a guest.

Americans spent an average of $1,514 out of pocket on medical care in 2023, which is 25.3% of Ozempic's annual self-pay cost of $5,988. A woman prepares her weight-loss injection pen. Source: Getty Images Ozempic slims more than your waist — if you’re paying out of pocket, your wallet’s likely thinner, too. Without health insurance, American households that make the median annual income would need to spend an average of 7.3% of their earnings to pay for 2 mg of Ozempic. Here’s what else we found.

Car insurance prices are expected to go up by an average of less than 1% in 2026. That's the smallest year-over-year increase since 2022, before high inflation caused car insurance rates to skyrocket with increases of 11.57% in 2023, 17.13% in 2024 and 7.56% in 2025. How much does car insurance cost in my state? The average cost of car insurance for 2026 is $208 per month, or about $2,496 per year, for full coverage. Car insurance prices can vary dramatically from one state to the next.

Diabetes can be deadly — and it’s unfortunately a disease that's not uncommon. According to ValuePenguin research, 8.8% of Americans 18 and older have a diabetes diagnosis as of 2024. But the disease doesn't affect everyone equally, with Hispanic and Black Americans suffering higher rates of diabetes than average. Rates also vary by state, with Southern states disproportionally represented. While diabetes is treatable, required care can be costly, and is becoming more so.

A few drinks can turn any room into an obstacle course. According to a ValuePenguin survey of nearly 1,950 Americans, 25% of drinkers 21 and older say they’ve been injured under the influence — and 68% of them needed medical attention. Here’s a closer look at the reported consequences of drunken injuries, how drinkers changed their habits and more. Additionally, we’ll dive into how your health insurance treats injuries that occurred under the influence.

By age, adults 65 and older sleep an average of nine hours and nine minutes a day — the highest among this demographic. The hustle is out, and the pillow is in. Americans are snoozing longer than ever, according to a ValuePenguin study, at a daily average of nine hours even, among adults 18 and older. But how much sleep you get depends on more than when you crawl into bed: Your age and gender, where you live and whether it’s a weekday or weekend all influence daily averages. Here’s a closer look.

Methodology ValuePenguin analysts utilized U.S. Census Bureau 2023 American Community Survey (ACS) data and microdata hosted on IPUMS to determine monthly property insurance costs, monthly homeownership costs and monthly household income in the 50 largest U.S. metros. The percentage of property insurance as a share of monthly homeownership costs was determined by dividing a metro's average property insurance cost by its average homeownership cost. The same method was applied to household income.