As economy improves, Congress scaling back jobless benefits for long-term unemployed, Associated Press, February 17, 2012, Washington Post: “Millions of Americans will continue to receive long-term unemployment benefits under legislation approved Friday in Congress, but the scope of the program is being scaled back to cover fewer people by the end of the year. The measure, which also extends a payroll tax cut through the rest of 2012, begins to wind down the program of extended federal jobless benefits that Congress first approved at the height of the recession. The bill reduces the current maximum 99 weeks of benefits to 73 weeks by September. For those in all but about a dozen of the highest unemployment states, benefits will be cut off after 63 weeks. The benefits are for people out of work more than six months. The program has provided checks to about 18 million out-of-work Americans who exhausted the 26 weeks of state jobless benefits…”
Day: February 17, 2012
State Medicaid Cuts – Illinois
Illinois Medicaid cuts will hit a system already in crisis, By Kristen McQueary, February 17, 2012, New York Times: “When Gov. Pat Quinn announces Medicaid cuts from a Springfield podium next week, Dr. Jason Grinter will be in the operating room of a Chicago hospital, treating Medicaid patients. Dr. Grinter is a dentist whose appointment book includes hundreds of Medicaid clients, many of whom have no other access to dental care. He treats children, the elderly and the disabled – often in school gymnasiums or nursing home cafeterias as part of a mobile dentistry outreach. Dental services are among the benefits lawmakers are considering cutting as they look for ways to reduce the cost of the state’s health care system for the poor. Dr. Grinter says that is short-sighted. ‘When you go without dental care, you get infections,’ he said. ‘You go to the emergency room – that’s big bucks. The state will be spending twice as much if it gets rid of the dental program.’ From the enrollment of patients through treatment and payment, the Medicaid program in Illinois has been plagued by fraud, inefficiency, unsustainable costs and a paralyzing political climate with often-competing doctor, hospital and health care lobbies, according to lawmakers and health-care organizations who work within the system…”
Poverty Rate – Portugal
Risk of poverty greater in Portugal, February 18, 2012, The Portugal News: “The risk of poverty is greater in Portugal compared to the rest of Europe, with one in four Portuguese living with the threat of poverty and social exclusion in 2010, according to statistics published by Eurostat this month in Brussels. Despite the risk of poverty having increased in Europe between 2009 and 2010, the average in the EU’s 27 countries is 23.4 percent risk of poverty, while in Portugal it is over 25 percent. According to the European statistics agency, 25.3 percent of Portuguese were at risk of poverty in 2010, 0.4 percent more than during the previous year. In total, throughout Europe, 115 million people lived at risk of poverty in 2010…”