The Biden Administration is expected to detail plans to roll out more monkeypox vaccines across the U.S.

The move comes after pressure from states, who have been pushing the Administration to release more doses of monkeypox vaccine from the Strategic National Stockpile which is managed by the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response at the Department of Health and Human Services.

Related video above: LGTBQ community concerns over monkeypox stigma

The plan will allocate doses based on case rates in a state, focusing on men who have sex with men and their partners, as well as anyone who thinks they might have been recently exposed to the virus, according to two sources familiar with the government's plans who were not authorized to speak with reporters.

Currently, 10 states would be considered to be in the first tier for priority in ordering vaccines.

The plans are expected to be officially announced later Tuesday evening.

They come in the middle of Pride month, a month filled with parties celebrating gender and sexual diversity, and a season that many in public health have worried will only fuel the spread of the monkeypox virus which is spread by close contact, including sex.

The vaccination plan may require the U.S. to use two different types of vaccines.

The first is a newer, modern vaccine called Jynneos which is manufactured by a Danish company called Bavarian Nordic. It was evaluated and developed and to treat monkeypox infection. The U.S. currently has 64,000 doses of this vaccine in the stockpile. The government will make 56,000 of those doses available to states in phase one of the rollout. More doses of this vaccine have been ordered and are expected to be delivered later this year.

The problem is that the U.S. may not have enough doses of Jynneos to vaccinate all who might need it, so public health officials are also considering whether to use a second older type of vaccine called ACAM. The ACAM vaccine was developed to treat smallpox. It's given by using a two-pronged needle that's repeatedly dipped into the vaccine and used to prick the skin on the upper arm, causing a small sore or "pock" to form.

"It's a very kind of like, old-school technology that basically I don't know any clinicians that actually know how to do that. So it's actually very difficult to roll out because you have to train people in a new vaccine methodology," said Dr. Jay Varma, professor and director of the Cornell Center for Pandemic Prevention and Response in New York City.

The other complication is that the ACAM vaccine uses a live, but weakened version of a virus to inoculate a person.

"It's presumed not to be safe to be able to be used in people with HIV," Varma said. The primary risk group for monkeypox — men who have sex with men — also have high rates of HIV infection.

During a call with reporters Tuesday, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, said five additional labs are in place to accelerate testing. She also urged states to make tests readily available and said additional outreach is underway to make health care workers more aware of what monkeypox looks like and how to treat it.

When it comes to vaccines, Walensky said vaccines should be provided for anyone who has been exposed to monkeypox, through both official contract tracing or for those who have been in a location or at an event where there was a case and there was potential exposure.

Vaccination after exposure is meant to reduce the risk of developing the virus, Walensky explained, and vaccination should occur within two weeks of exposure.

Hearst Television contributed to this report.

WASHINGTON — Do you or a loved one get your health insurance through the Affordable Care Act?

The latest numbers show 31 million people are currently enrolled in either marketplace plans or through Medicaid expansion nationwide - that's a record.

However, there are looming questions about whether a major rate hike is on the horizon for many of those health insurance plans.

THE ISSUE

There is inflation and there is Ukraine. There is an ongoing abortion debate.

Let's face it — the country is facing a lot.

Well, you can add health insurance premium hikes to the ongoing list of issues facing the United States.

Remember the Affordable Care Act and how it created new health insurance options for those who don't have insurance?

When President Joe Biden signed the American Rescue Plan into law during the height of the pandemic, it created what's known as "advanced premium tax credits" that made health insurance plans obtained through the government marketplace cheaper.

The average family saved $200 in premiums, according to the latest data.

4 out of 5 consumers were eligible for plans that cost $10/month.

Enrollment has been up 21% this year — with lower prices playing a big role.

However, the funding that made plans so cheap will expire at the end of this year with families set to receive notice just a few weeks before Election Day.

Some plans may go up by hundreds of dollars each month.

More than a dozen Democratic governors wrote to Members of Congress last week asking them to take action to prevent what they call "dramatic premium increases" soon.

There are concerns in states like California, Colorado, Michigan and Nevada that this could lead to Americans declining health insurance.

So far, though, it's unclear whether Congress will address this.

Republicans have been reluctant to extend any type of pandemic assistance over concerns it will fuel inflation.

Democrats, meanwhile, are hopeful a solution could be included in a reconciliation package this summer.

That hypothetical legislation would pass with only Democratic votes in the Senate and likely address prescription drug reform and climate change as well.

However, that legislation hasn't been made public yet and would need the support of every Democrat in the Senate.

Recent history has shown us that it is a difficult task.

After all, Biden's signature "Build Back Better" legislation stalled over objections by Democrats — like Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia.

After weeks of increases that pushed mortgage rates close to 4%, the climb took a break last week.The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 3.89% in the week ending Feb. 24, down slightly from 3.92% the week before, according to Freddie Mac.Even with this decline, mortgage rates have increased by more than a full percent over the past six months, said Sam Khater, Freddie Mac's chief economist."As we enter the spring homebuying season with higher mortgage rates and continued low inventory, we expect home price growth to remain firm before cooling off later this year," he said.This past week, factors including geopolitical uncertainty weakened rates on 10-year Treasuries, said Danielle Hale, Realtor.com's chief economist, pushing rates down."As the world reacts to developments in Ukraine, the uncertainty will likely mean a pause in the recent pace of increases," she said.Still, mortgage rates remain 84 basis points higher than just 9 weeks ago as expectations for economic growth, inflation and monetary policy have gone through a major reset, Hale said.There have only been two similar spikes in recent history, she said: One immediately following the 2016 election, when rates jumped 85 basis points in 10 weeks, and the other during the 2013 'taper tantrum,' when rates surged 116 basis points in 11 weeks."In both cases, home sales momentum slowed in the following year due to the impact on affordability, since rising rates mean higher homeownership costs even if home prices are unchanged," Hale said.This is especially true for those putting a smaller amount of money down on a home, Realtor.com found.A 3.9% interest rate on a 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage for a typical $375,000 home with a 10% down payment translates to monthly payments of $1,592. That is about $228 higher than in December 2020, Hale said. For a buyer putting down 20%, the monthly payment is $1,415 or $203 more.Higher costs of homeownership ultimately impact a buyer's ability and interest in home buying.Applications for mortgages dropped to their lowest level since December 2019 last week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association."Higher mortgage rates have quickly shut off refinances, with activity down in six of the first seven weeks of 2022," said Joel Kan, MBA's associate vice president of economic and industry forecasting."Purchase applications, already constrained by elevated sales prices and tight inventory, have also been impacted by these higher rates and declined for the third straight week," he said.The monthly mortgage payment on the typical U.S. home rose 31% in the last year, according to an analysis by Zillow, as skyrocketing home prices and rapidly rising mortgage interest rates delivered a "one-two punch" to home buyers' budgets.In January 2021, a buyer purchasing the typical U.S. home, which was then worth $271,650, with a 20% down payment and a conforming, 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage, would have paid $885 a month, Zillow found. By this January, after the typical home rose to $325,667 and mortgage interest rates shot up, that same payment had risen 31% to $1,162 a month.According to Zillow, that average monthly mortgage payment is the highest on record. It is even higher than the record set in July 2006 of $1,118, when mortgage rates were a whopping 6.76%.Higher borrowing costs will likely push buyers to seek out lower-priced homes, according to the analysis by Jeff Tucker, senior economist at Zillow, meaning buyers may move to a more affordable area, try to wait out rates or delay a home purchase altogether.

Experts say that now could be a good time to shop around for car insurance, as rates are expected to increase this year.

Several factors are driving that increase, including a rise in dangerous driving that the U.S. has seen since the start of the pandemic, which is causing the cost of claims to go up.

Another factor is the shortage of cars and car parts, which makes it more expensive to repair or replace cars.

Inflation is playing a role as well.

"By the end of last year, we basically were back to the normal rate for car insurance, so I think with inflation this year, we'll probably see it creep up about the normal amounts, maybe a tad bit more, depending on how much inflation really pushes things," said Penny Gusner, an insurance analyst with Forbes Advisor.

Gusner says an average yearly increase is around 5%.

Gusner adds that drivers looking to buy a new car may want to consider gap insurance. If a vehicle is totaled or stolen after car values have dropped, drivers could owe more than the car's value. Gap insurance covers that difference.

Gusner says drivers can expect to see more companies offering usage-based car insurance this year, too.

"I think people are more used to being monitored and doing things virtually," she said. "It's becoming more popular and it can really help too, with insurance companies putting more focus on your actual driving behavior than other things, say credit or gender, which are factors that they're trying to get away from at this point."

In usage-based insurance, companies have customers plug a device into their car or use an app that allows them to monitor a person's driving. Gusner says most companies will give drivers a 5 to 10% discount for signing up. Many companies claim drivers will get a total discount of 20 to 40%, but she says that doesn't mean drivers will save that much.

Gusner says usage-based insurance is probably best for good drivers, those who don't drive much and those who don't work at night because companies factor in the time of day when making their analysis.

WASHINGTON — Whether it was flooding in Texas earlier this week because of Tropical Storm Nicolas or Hurricane Ida's destruction which stretched from neighborhoods in Louisiana to interstates in the Northeast, the last few weeks have shown why flooding is such a risk to Americans.

In fact, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), flooding is the most common and most expensive natural disaster in our country.

And you don't have to live on the coasts to be at risk.

CONGRESS AND FEMA

While all this flooding may have you thinking about flood insurance, Congress is thinking about it for other reasons.

The National Flood Insurance Program is set to expire on Oct. 1.

While Congress is expected to extend the program, the bigger impact on your life may be the changes FEMA wants to make to flood insurance policies, changes that will likely impact rates.

Currently, policies are based on a home's elevation and whether it has a 1% annual chance of flooding.

Starting Oct. 1, factors such as the history of flooding, frequency of heavy rainfall, as well proximity to a water source will be factored in.

The numbers mean what you pay will be changing.

FEMA estimates around 73% of current policyholders will pay between $1-$20 more per month

It's expected 4% of existing policyholders will see price hikes of more than $20 a month.

But FEMA also says around 23% of flood insurance plans will be cheaper, an acknowledgment that some Americans have been paying too much for years.

"It all depends on where you happen to be," Dr. Ed Kearns says.

Kearns runs floodfactor.com which allows anyone to type in their address and see their own flood risk.

He says while FEMA's willingness to change is important, more climate change risks should be factored in.

“I'd really like to see how climate change is impacting those heavy rainfall events," Kearns said.

The reality, he says, is that some areas will be hit harder than others with floods in the coming years and Americans need to be insured and prepared to pay more.

"If you are living in a home that is on a grade slab and next to the ocean, or a low-lying area you should expect to pay your fair share.”

New policies will see rates change next month, current policyholders will see those changes next April.

If you're someone who wants flood insurance but can't afford it, keep an eye on Congress. A proposal to create new subsidies is currently included in the proposed multi-trillion-dollar spending bill.