Older people in Hawaii could pay more for medicine next year as a federal subsidy program ends, and Amazon is raising prices on its devices — bad news for household budgets either way.

• The Trump administration is ending a federal subsidy that helped hold down Medicare Part D drug plan costs, so some premiums are expected to rise.
• About 77,000 people in Hawaii are on Medicare Part D and should compare plans later this year before the new prices take effect.
• Amazon is raising prices on smart home devices, Kindles, and Fire TV products, with the Echo Dot jumping 60% and the Kindle and Fire TV Stick also going up. Ring cameras are not affected.
• Hawaii flags flew at half staff through September 1 after the death of Dolly Parton, who raised money for Maui wildfire survivors in 2023.
• Hawaii public schools now offer two lunch choices, one with meat and one vegetarian, using more locally grown food.

Outlook: Seniors will see their new premiums during open enrollment later this year, and more Amazon price increases are likely as hardware costs climb.