Ohio joining push to insure kids, By Catherine Candisky, March 12, 2010, Columbus Dispatch: “Two of three uninsured kids in Ohio – 77,000 youngsters – don’t have to go without health care. Their modest family incomes qualify them for tax-funded coverage, but they aren’t enrolled. Ohio will become the first state to join a challenge by the Obama administration to eliminate the ranks of so-called uninsured eligibles within five years, Gov. Ted Strickland announced yesterday. To meet that goal, Ohio will adopt three initiatives to make it easier for families to enroll in the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) and keep them covered longer…”
Day: March 12, 2010
The Census and Federal Spending on the States
How states rank: Federal spending driven by census data, By Ron Scherer, March 9, 2010, Christian Science Monitor: “In the weeks ahead, tens of millions of Americans will be asked to provide information for the US census. For the states and the District of Columbia, the Census Bureau says, more than $400 billion in federal spending is at stake. (For more on the 2010 Census, click here. So: Which states will benefit the most from an accurate census? On a per capita basis, the answer is rural areas and places with a large poor population, according to an analysis released Tuesday by the Brookings Institution’s Metropolitan Policy Program. The following conclusion may be surprising to some: Politics does not appear to have played a large role in which states get more money. For example, the state of Nevada – which has high-ranking Democrat Harry Reid in the Senate – came in last in terms of per capita spending of federal dollars as related to census numbers…”
Editorials: Child Support Guidelines – Maryland
- A matter of fairness, Editorial, March 12, 2010, Baltimore Sun: “The last time Maryland updated its guidelines for calculating child support, Ronald Reagan was in the White House, ‘The Cosby Show’ was at the top of the ratings, and Corey Haim was at the pinnacle of his film career. The year was 1988, and under pressure from the federal government, Maryland developed a matrix of how much parents were expected to spend for their children’s food, clothing, housing and so on, based on their combined income level. The idea was that children should not have to suffer a lower standard of living just because their parents were divorced or separated, and that the parents should bear a responsibility for the costs proportionate to their income. The states were supposed to update their guidelines every four years based on changes in costs and spending patterns, but Maryland never did…”
- Md. is behind the times and the cost of living on child support, Editorial, March 12, 2010, Washington Post: “The last time Maryland calculated what parents should reasonably pay in child support was 1988. That’s when the price of a stamp was 22 cents, the average cost of a new home was $138,300 and a gallon of gas went for $1.08. It is time Maryland stop shortchanging children and approve a long-needed update of the guidelines governing child support…”