Marketplace Morning Report: "Talkin' Turkey (Inflation)" – November 25, 2025

Brief Overview

This brisk episode of the Marketplace Morning Report delves into two pressing consumer and economic issues facing Americans as Thanksgiving approaches: the true cost and inflationary pressures on holiday meals, and the sharp rise in health insurance premiums as government subsidies may expire. Hosted by David Brancaccio from Los Angeles, the show relies on reporting from Marketplace journalists, expert interviews, and direct stories from affected families.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Thanksgiving Dinner and Food Inflation

• Conflicting Narratives on Prices
  • Experts and studies disagree on whether the cost of Thanksgiving is up, down, or flat. Some sources cite decreases, while others point to notable increases.
  • Quotes:
    • "So this year we see that Thanksgiving dinner is going to be less expensive." (Reporter, 01:26)
    • "Our numbers show that it's going to be pretty close to the same or a little bit up." (Marketplace Announcer, 01:30)
    • "We find that the typical Thanksgiving meal will run people about 10% more this year." (Reporter, 01:35)
• Itemized Increases
  • Certain staples are rising steeply:
    • "For vegetables specifically, our veggie tray was up more than 61% and sweet potatoes were up 37%." (Reporter, 01:56)
• Coping Strategies
  • Shoppers are adapting: using frozen instead of fresh vegetables, skipping desserts, opting for generics.
  • Supermarkets may sell turkey at a loss ("loss leaders") to attract customers, recouping profit on other items.
    • "They can put those prices in the paper or in online advertisements to get you in the door, and then they know that you will buy the pumpkin pie filling and the green beans and the stuffing." (Elizabeth Pancotti, 02:14)
• Budget Constraints and Social Adjustments
  • Households are "eating less fancy" or inviting fewer people to contain costs.
    • "Some families are actually going to invite fewer guests, kind of downsizing the meal itself as a way to save money." (Justin Cook, 02:30)
  • Average Thanksgiving guest expected to pitch in about $47 this year.
• Overall Tone
  • Empathic, focusing on the squeeze many families feel without talking down to listeners. Brancaccio opens, "No one needs to tell you if your grocery bill is getting higher or lower. We're all there at the supermarket scanner. We know what we’re buying and if it’s up or down." (00:55)

2. Health Insurance Premiums: Looming Subsidy Expiration

• Imminent Policy Shifts
  • White House may soon announce new methods to address health insurance inflation and expiring ACA subsidies.
  • Without action, premiums for ACA plans could "double, triple, quadruple." (David Brancaccio, 04:39)
• Impact Stories
  • A family’s premium jumps from $2,000/month this year to $3,300/month next year for a bronze plan for a family of four—a whopping $40,000 annually.
    • "I really don't want to spend $40,000 on health insurance. But I also don't want to choose a bad plan or choose the wrong plan." (Kelly Williams, 05:30)
  • Going uninsured feels impossible: "With kids you worry most about accidents and you're like, what if somebody's in a horrible car wreck and you have just a half million dollar hospital bill or something." (Kelly Williams, 05:56)
• Market Dynamics
  • Folding enhanced subsidies means healthier, younger people may drop out due to unaffordable costs, making the insurance pool older and sicker; this drives up premiums further.
    • "If the enhanced subsidies do expire, lots of young, healthy people are likely to drop coverage because it's too expensive. And when insurance companies anticipate a smaller, sicker pool of people... they will increase their premiums." (Sabrina Corlette, 06:26)
  • Average premium increases projected at 26% nationwide.
• Underlying Causes
  • Stagnant or falling premiums over the past years thanks to enhanced subsidies and healthier cohorts.
  • Delay in medical inflation due to the pandemic: people put off care, now returning for postponed procedures and prescriptions, raising insurer costs.
    • "During the height of the pandemic, fewer people were going to doctors too, delaying non urgent care with which kept costs down for insurance companies... these days we've seen insurers talking about people using more hospital care, people going to the doctor, more people filling more prescriptions, which increases insurers costs and pushes up premiums." (Reporter & Marketplace Announcer, 07:15–07:31)
• Personal Financial Impact
  • Even with a cheaper, higher deductible plan, the family’s premium will still be $3,000/month—more than double their $1,200 mortgage.
    • "It absolutely dwarfs our mortgage, which is $1,200 all in." (Kelly Williams, 08:05)
    • "It's crushing, Williams says, but she knows her family's lucky they can make it work." (Reporter, 08:11)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• "No one needs to tell you if your grocery bill is getting higher or lower. We're all there at the supermarket scanner."
  — David Brancaccio, 00:55
• "We find that the typical Thanksgiving meal will run people about 10% more this year."
  — Marketplace Reporter, 01:35
• "Our veggie tray was up more than 61% and sweet potatoes were up 37%."
  — Faith Parham via Reporter, 01:56
• "Some families are actually going to invite fewer guests, kind of downsizing the meal itself as a way to save money."
  — Justin Cook, 02:30
• "I really don't want to spend $40,000 on health insurance. But I also don't want to choose a bad plan or choose the wrong plan."
  — Kelly Williams, 05:30
• "It absolutely dwarfs our mortgage, which is $1,200 all in."
  — Kelly Williams, 08:05

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:55 – 03:10: Thanksgiving inflation segment (price comparisons, coping strategies, budget stories)
• 04:39 – 08:18: Health insurance premiums and policy segment (subsidies, personal impacts, expert analysis)

Summary & Takeaways

Marketplace Morning Report succinctly illustrates the heightened financial anxieties facing Americans as 2025 draws to a close. Inflation remains a reality at the holiday dinner table, despite mixed statistical narratives. Meanwhile, families brace for health insurance "sticker shock" as pandemic-era subsidies are due to sunset, risking profound hardship even among financially stable households.

The tone is matter-of-fact, empathetic, and information-rich, arming listeners with both the "big picture" and individual experiences behind these economic challenges.