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University of Wisconsin–Madison
Poverty-related issues in the news, from the Institute for Research on Poverty

Day: October 9, 2012

Medicaid Program – Ohio

Ohio seeks Medicaid changes with Obamacare, By Peggy O’Farrell, October 9, 2012, Dayton Daily News: “Medicaid is emerging as a major battleground on Obamacare as states run the numbers on what expanding Medicaid rolls will do to their fragile state budgets. Ohio is one of a growing number of states considering a novel approach. Gov. John Kasich’s administration, made up of Republicans, and thus no fans of the Democrat-backed health care reform law, is seeking approval to shrink the pool of eligible adults but still receive full federal funding through the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act for expanding the state’s Medicaid program. The state is seeking to allow uninsured adults who earn up 100 percent of the federal poverty level qualify for Medicaid, said John McCarthy, Ohio’s Medicaid director. The federal legislation stipulates that states have to expand Medicaid rolls to include adults who earn up to 138 percent to qualify for federal aid that will, for the first few years, pay the full cost of the expanded coverage…”

Prepaid Debit Cards and Low-Income Consumers

Wal-Mart and AmEx in prepaid card deal, By Stephanie Clifford and Jessica Siver-Greenberg, October 8, 2012, New York Times: “Wal-Mart Stores is taking another leap into the banking world, announcing on Monday a prepaid card and debit account with American Express that will give low-income consumers access to features like smartphone deposits. It is a surprising alliance between the discounter Wal-Mart and American Express, which until recently has been focused on high-end consumers. The move is intended to strengthen both companies’ position in the prepaid card market — which, unlike credit and debit cards, is largely unregulated and has far fewer consumer protections…”