Oregon’s hunger assistance program receives two awards, By Saerom Yoo, September 29, 2011, Statesman Journal: “There’s a silver lining in Oregon’s record hunger problem – $5 million worth, in fact. The state’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as the Food Stamp program, has received two awards from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for its successful performance. For the fifth consecutive year, SNAP was recognized for its high participation rate with a $2.6 million award. Almost 92 percent of Oregonians eligible for food stamps are enrolled. It was also awarded $2.4 million for timely processing of applications…”
Day: September 30, 2011
School Breakfast Program – New Jersey
N.J. ranks 46th nationally for participation in the National School Breakfast Program, By Nic Corbett, September 30, 2011, Star-Ledger: “A bowl of cereal, a cup of milk and some graham crackers can help a student start the school day off right, but New Jersey ranks 46th in the nation for participation in the National School Breakfast Program. Only 28 percent of New Jersey children eligible for free- or reduced-price meals were served breakfast at school last year through the federally funded program, according to a report by the nonprofit Advocates for Children of New Jersey using data from the New Jersey Departments of Education and Agriculture. Executive Director Cecilia Zalkind said it’s difficult for students to concentrate on a reading assignment or solve a math problem without eating in the morning…”
States and Medicaid – Florida, Wisconsin
- Studies: Medicaid vital to kids, seniors, By David Gulliver, September 28, 2011, Bradenton Herald: “More than a half-million Floridians rely on Medicaid to pay for cancer, diabetes, heart disease and other illnesses, and that federal safety net may be crucial as private health insurance costs rise far faster than wages. That picture comes from a pair of separate studies released Tuesday. Families USA examined Medicaid usage in major states, and found that in Florida, seniors and children are among its biggest recipients. The Kaiser Family Foundation surveyed employers and found that annual premiums for their family health plans increased 9 percent from the prior year, to about $15,073, greatly outpacing the 2.1 percent rise in workers’ pay…”
- State wants to shift some Medicaid recipients to lower-cost plans, By Jason Stein, September 30, 2011, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: “To help address a half-billion dollar shortfall in the state’s health programs, Gov. Scott Walker’s administration is seeking to shift hundreds of thousands of state residents to lower-cost state plans or to private plans but not to leave them without coverage altogether, officials said. State officials said that there is now a $554 million estimated deficit – $110 million more than previously projected – through June 2013 in state Medicaid health programs, which provide everything from doctor’s visits for poor families to nursing home care for the elderly. That deficit could still grow further going forward, they warned. To close that gap and control fast-growing costs, state Health Services Secretary Dennis Smith said that the state would avoid dropping state residents with no other options for coverage and look instead at efforts like shifting 230,000 state Medicaid recipients into a lower-cost plan with fewer benefits…”