Unemployment rates fell in 193 large metro areas in July, rose in 118, and were flat in 61, Associated Press, August 31, 2011, Washington Post: “Unemployment rates fell in a majority of U.S. cities in July, despite a weak economy that is producing few jobs. The Labor Department said Wednesday that unemployment rates dropped in 193 large metro areas, increased in 118 and were flat in 61. That’s a sharp change from June, when unemployment rates rose in more than 90 percent of metro areas…”
Month: August 2011
State Medicaid Programs – Tennessee, Colorado
- TennCare could take big hit, By Chas Sisk, August 31, 2011, The Tennessean: “Health care, children’s services and unemployment offices could bear the brunt of expected cuts in federal spending in Tennessee, according to planning documents released Tuesday. Spending on TennCare could be reduced by as much as 25 percent, and local health departments could lose as many as 278 jobs across Tennessee under a worst-case scenario prepared for state finance officials. Tennessee also may have to close as many 36 career centers, and reduce staffing for child welfare by nearly 700 people, if the federal government presses ahead with deep cuts to Tennessee. The planning documents give some insight into how sharp reductions in federal spending might affect Tennessee. About 40 percent of the state’s $30 billion budget comes from the federal government, which intends to reduce its spending by at least $1.2 trillion in a bid to reduce the national debt…”
- Colorado scaling back Medicaid after drastically underestimating numbers, cost, By Tim Hoover, August 31, 2011, Denver Post: “Two years after lawmakers expanded Medicaid to cover poor adults without children, the state is vastly scaling back the program because the number of people eligible for coverage is nearly three times as high as first projected and the cost of insuring them is almost nine times original estimates. The new coverage followed the 2009 passage of major health care legislation that allowed the state to impose a fee on hospitals while drawing down matching federal money to expand Medi caid coverage. House Bill 1293 was estimated to generate about $1.2 billion for Medicaid programs when fully phased in, and the measure called for expanding eligibility levels. A new eligibility class was created for adults without dependent children and whose income was up to 100 percent of the federal poverty level, or $10,890 per year for an individual…”
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
More Americans hungry for food stamps, By Marilyn Geewax, August 28, 2011, National Public Radio: “This week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is expected to release its latest update on the food stamp program. It’s an important indicator of the nation’s economic health – and the prognosis is not good. Food stamp use is up 70 percent over the past four years and that trend is expected to continue. The spike began in late-2008 and early-2009 when the worst of the recession was triggering massive layoffs and home foreclosures. Although the economy has been growing since mid-2009, the pace has been too slow to absorb the nearly 14 million people without jobs. Nearly half of those have been out of work more than six months. As a result, the number of people seeking federal help with groceries has been soaring. At this time four years ago, before the recession hit, about 27 million people were using food stamps. Today 46 million get help through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program – what most people call food stamps – which is roughly 15 percent of the population…”