$10-billion Medicaid plan approved for California, By Noam N. Levey, November 3, 2010, Los Angeles Times: “The Obama administration on Tuesday approved a $10-billion plan to help California modernize and expand its Medicaid health insurance program for the poor, pushing the state to the forefront of the national effort to implement the new healthcare law. The administration’s much-anticipated decision to grant a so-called Medicaid waiver could ultimately help cover hundreds of thousands more Californians over the next five years. State and federal officials hope that will bolster efforts to improve the quality and efficiency of care provided to the state’s poorest residents. ‘California is now firmly leading the country in the implementation of health reform,’ said Peter Harbage, an independent consultant who has worked extensively on healthcare policy in the state. The state’s head start was made possible by an agreement between Washington and Sacramento to reallocate money already planned for the state’s Medicaid program. Whether the California agreement becomes a template for the rest of the country remains to be seen. Republican leaders in many states are fighting against implementation of the new healthcare law and arguing that the next Congress should repeal it…”
Day: November 3, 2010
High School Dropout Rates – Canada
- High-school dropout rates fall dramatically: StatsCan, Canadian Press, November 3, 2010, Toronto Star: “A new study has found that high-school dropout rates have plummeted by almost half in the past 20 years. Statistics Canada reports that 191,000 young people aged 20 to 24 had not completed a high-school diploma and were not attending school in 2009-2010, or 8.5 per cent. That’s a big drop from the 1990-91 figure of nearly 340,000, or 16.6 per cent. The agency says dropout rates were lower for young women (6.6 per cent) last year than for young men (10.3). StatsCan found that, while rates have declined for both sexes, the rate of decrease was faster for men, narrowing the gap between the two…”
- High school dropout rate cut in half in 2 decades, By Mark Iype, November 3, 2010, Vancouver Sun: “The number of young Canadians not getting a high school diploma has been slashed nearly in half over the last 20 years according to Statistics Canada, a change many experts say reflects the rising value of education in the country. In 1990-91, nearly 340,000 or 16.6 per cent of young people aged 20 to 24 had not completed a high school diploma and were not attending school. But in the last two decades, that number has dropped dramatically, falling to 8.5 per cent of young people or 191,000 by the 2009-10 school year, according to data released Wednesday…”
Teen Birthrates – Kentucky, Indiana
Indiana, Kentucky teen birthrates top national averages; Kentucky in top 10, By Bill Straub, October 31, 2010, Evansville Courier and Press: “The number of teen births in Indiana is significantly higher than the U.S. rate, according to a report issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, while Kentucky’s totals are even higher, placing the commonwealth in the top 10. The report, released Wednesday, placed the Hoosier teen rate at 43.7 births for every 1,000 young women from the ages of 15 to 19, compared to a national rate of 41.5. Kentucky, meanwhile, had a rate of 55.6, tied with Tennessee for the nation’s seventh highest. Regardless, the number of teen births in Indiana fell by 3.3 percent from 2007, when a rate of 45.2 per 1,000 was recorded, a greater decline than the 2.4 percent dip reported nationally. Kentucky experienced a modest increase from a rate of 55.1…”