July 4, 2022 | View Online | Sign Up
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Hot diggity dog, it’s July 4th already! I hope all our US readers are enjoying the day off and a hot dog or maybe 150 million of them. According to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council (yes, it’s a thing), that’s about how many hot dogs Americans consume on Independence Day alone. America: home of the brave, land of the processed meats.
In today's edition:
European travel is so bad, airlines are throwing in the towel
The US won't be so lenient with your passport anymore
WNBA star Brittney Griner's trial commences in Russia
New law let's you see how much health insurers really pay
Cheers,
Arijana
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| SUMMER TRAVEL
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Europe's travel mess continues, American pulls out of Amsterdam
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As airlines struggle to keep up with summer travel delays, American Airlines has decided to pause ticket sales on flights leaving Amsterdam Airport Schipol (AMS) between July 7th and 31st.
The Texas-based carrier currently operates only two flights a day out of AMS, but the company mentioned that it soon may be pausing flights from other airports too.
AMS is one of Europe’s busiest hubs and, with summer travel at an all-time high, has been among the hardest-hit airports in terms of delays and travel disruptions. The airport announced a four-part plan to cut down wait times including increased recruitment efforts to alleviate staffing shortages and bringing in ‘security coaches’ to keep lines moving.
London’s Heathrow and Manchester airports, also popular among international travelers, have each had a slew of their own operational issues and have even asked airlines to cancel flights.
American Airlines isn’t the only airline being forced to adjust to the chaos. Dutch carrier KLM recently paused ticket sales for a weekend because of overcrowding concerns at AMS. Meanwhile, Air Canada announced that it’s canceling 10% of its summer flights–about 150 flights per day–due to industry strains. Even Delta’s CEO issued a rare apology for the lengthy delays passengers are facing.
So, if you’re still planning to travel this summer be sure to build in a buffer and arrive at the airport early and maybe with a coffee while you (almost certainly) wait through a delay.
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| TRAVEL NEWS
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US will stop honoring expired passports
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As of July 1st, the US has officially stopped honoring expired US passports, ending a pandemic-era policy designed to alleviate a backlog of passport applications
The policy allowed citizens to enter the country if their passports had expired on or after January 1st, 2020. The exception was initially put in place to mitigate staffing reductions and processing delays that had people waiting up to 18 weeks for their documents. Now, anyone returning to the US will need to present an up-to-date passport.
If you need to get your passport renewed, you should note that current processing times are estimated at eight to eleven weeks or five to seven weeks if you don’t mind paying the $60 expediting fee. Passport renewals are now also $20 more expensive, bringing the cost to $130.
Snail mail remains the most efficient way to get your passport renewed. Just remember, if you’re planning to leave the country, your passport cannot be set to expire within 6 months.
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| TOGETHER WITH
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How to learn a new language. Step 1: Babbel. Step 2: Start speaking.
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Summer is here and travel is calling our names.
Babbel teaches bite-sized, 10 minute language lessons for real world use. And it doesn’t stop at merely teaching you the language.
Context tips sprinkled throughout lessons as well as courses like Countries & Traditions, give you useful tips and cultural knowledge to help you better understand the words you’re learning.
We can confirm it works.
Babbel has sold over 10 million subscriptions. But for anyone who isn’t fully satisfied they can get a full refund with their 20-day money back guarantee.
Better yet, Babbel is having a 4th of
July sale where you can save up to 60% off! But hurry, the sale is only available until July 8th.
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| Check out the sale here! |
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| WORLD NEWS
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Lorie Shaull (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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WNBA star Brittney Griner's trial has begun
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On Friday, the trial against WNBA star Brittney Griner began near Moscow.
At the trial, Russian prosecutors accused the athlete of intentionally importing drugs into Russia by moving a ‘significant amount’ of cannabis oil. Two customs agents who were present on the day of her arrest in February were called upon as witnesses for the trial.
In the courtroom, Griner stated that she understood the charges but she was not asked to state if she was innocent or guilty. She only stated, “The accusation is clear. Now I don’t want to express my opinion/attitude about the charge. Later.”
The trial comes four months after her arrest in February. The Olympian was taken into custody just a few days short of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but the Kremlin denies that her detention is politically motivated. The US State Department, however, has officially classified Griner as being wrongfully detained.
Griner faces up to 10 years in prison on drug charges and her next hearing is scheduled for July 7th.
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| HEALTH
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Health insurer costs are now available to the public
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As of July 1st, health insurers and self-insured employers must publicly post nearly every price they have negotiated with providers.
The public information will be fairly comprehensive. The only item not required to be listed is prescription drug prices that were not administered in hospitals or doctors’ offices. The updated requirements arose from the Affordable Care Act and a 2019 executive order that was issued by former President Donald Trump.
Last year, rules were put in place that required hospitals to post their negotiated rates to the public, but this expansion is much broader. Now, insurers must post the costs for “every physician in network, every hospital, every surgery center, every nursing facility” otherwise they face penalties of up to $100 per day per violation. Insurers must also provide online tools to help people get upfront cost estimates for about 500 services.
The increased transparency is designed to help people identify where their insurance can get them the cheapest rates from one place to another, providing them with more options
Chris Severn, CEO of Turquoise Health, an online company that tracks healthcare pricing, explained, “If you’re going to get an X-ray, you will be able to see that you can do it for $250 at this hospital, $75 at the imaging center down the road, or your specialist can do it in office for $25.”
Beyond personal pricing, the updated policy will also shed light on how successful insurers have been at negotiating rates for their end-users. A recent study by the Rand Corp., shows that employers offering job-based insurance plans paid 224% more than Medicare for the same services, on average.
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| SUMMER SILK SALE
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Pack your bag with these travel must-haves. You can dress your dreamiest in Lunya's bestselling, thermoregulating, perfect-for-the-summer Washable Silk, now 25% OFF.
Limited quantities. Ends tonight.
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| WISHLIST WORTHY STAYS
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Just a few places to get you daydreamin’...
This secluded treehouse loft is the perfect rainforest retreat
Words won’t do this New Zealand lodge justice, so click here to ooh and ahh
Rwanda’s Bistate lodge sits on the slopes of a volcanic crater and you’ve never seen anything like it before
A fairytale cottage even Tinker Bell would love
Luxurious, yet tranquil, this Bangkok hotel has an unbeatable view of the majestic Wat Arun temple
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| WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING
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Details emerge about Venice’s €10 entrance fee
Tiger King star indicted for wildlife trafficking and money laundering
Delta offers passengers $10K each to get off oversold flight
Cause of death revealed for 3 Americans found dead at Sandals resort
Workers in 20+ states got minimum wage increases this weekend
Niagara Falls just got a stunning new viewing platform
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