Atlanta foster care system improves adoption rates, By Paige Cornwell, June 16, 2012, Atlanta Journal-Constitution: “The metropolitan Atlanta foster care system continues to improve its adoption rate and is maintaining strong oversight over its foster homes, but still falls short in several key areas, according to a monitoring report released Friday. Of the children ready for adoption during the latter half of 2010, 84 percent were adopted within 12 months, according to the report by federally appointed monitors of child welfare systems, which covers the last six months of 2011. An additional 11 percent of adoptions were finalized within 13-17 months. This is the state’s best performance to date and the first time it surpassed the 80 percent performance threshold, the report notes. . .”
Day: June 18, 2012
Medicaid and Affordable Care Act – Virginia
Medicaid decision looms for Va. in health care debate, By Michael Martz, June 17, 2012, Richmond Times-Dispatch: “Nothing is more important to health care reform in Virginia than expansion of Medicaid. With an estimated 1 million Virginians uninsured, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act would make up to 425,000 people in the state eligible for Medicaid health coverage beginning on Jan. 1, 2014. As the U.S. Supreme Court nears a decision within two weeks on the constitutionality of the 2-year-old law, Virginia is preparing for an outcome that would leave most of the act intact, even if the “individual mandate,” requiring that almost all Americans have insurance, is overturned. “If all we get out of the Affordable Care Act is the Medicaid expansion, that wouldn’t be a bad thing in terms of coverage for people,” said Deborah A. Oswalt, executive director of the Virginia Health Care Foundation. The expansion would most benefit parents who aren’t eligible now if they earn more than 24 percent of the federal poverty level. . .”