- Obama’s reelection cements his healthcare law, By Noam N. Levey, November 8, 2012, Los Angeles Times: “President Obama’s victory all but assures that his landmark healthcare law and its guarantee of insurance coverage for nearly all Americans will be implemented, effectively putting an end to the Republican campaign to derail the law. That outcome — which seemed almost unimaginable this spring when the Supreme Court considered whether the Affordable Care Act was constitutional — puts immediate pressure on many Republican state leaders who fought it. They must decide in days whether to implement it or have the federal government do it for them…”
- With Obama re-elected, states scramble over health law, By Abby Goodnough and Robert Pear, November 8, 2012, New York Times: “After nearly three years of legal and political threats that kept President Obama’s health care law in a constant state of uncertainty, his re-election on Tuesday all but guarantees that the historic legislation will survive. Now comes another big hurdle: making it work…”
- Obama’s health care overhaul now moves quickly to the states, with more hurdles along the way, Associated Press, November 8, 2012, Washington Post: “The long slog has turned into a sprint. President Barack Obama’s health care law survived the Supreme Court and the election; now the uninsured can sign up for coverage in about 11 months. Even the government’s top-ranking Republican, House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, said Thursday that ‘Obamacare is the law of the land.’ But not all hurdles have been cleared…”
- Obama win means big health care decisions for states, By Christine Vestal and Michael Ollove, November 8, 2012, Stateline: “Since the day it was enacted, many of the Affordable Care Act’s opponents have preferred to treat it as provisional. First, they argued, the Supreme Court might overturn the whole law. When that didn’t happen in June, opponents turned to the hope that maybe Mitt Romney would win the presidency and repeal it. Now, there are no more maybes…”
- Gov. Jindal asked to rethink Medicaid expansion, Associated Press, November 8, 2012, Monroe News Star: “Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal is being urged by Louisiana Democratic leaders and advocacy groups to reconsider his opposition to expanding the state’s Medicaid coverage, now that the presidential campaign is over. President Barack Obama’s re-election is expected to stall efforts to repeal the national health care overhaul, which includes the Medicaid expansion…”
Day: November 9, 2012
Social Impact Bonds – Canada
- Feds introduce controversial ‘social impact bonds’ to fund social services, By Les Whittington, November 8, 2012, Toronto Star: “The federal government is introducing a controversial new approach to funding social services called ‘social impact bonds’ that can turn a profit for private investors. Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Conservatives, who have often been accused of short-changing social programs, view the bonds as a valuable source of fresh funding for Canadian communities…”
- Ottawa looks to private sector to help fund social programs, By Heather Scoffield, Winnipeg Free Press: “The federal government wants to tap into a ‘gold mine’ of private-sector funding to finance its social programs — a new approach the New Democrats are dismissing as little more than budget cuts in disguise. Human Resources Minister Diane Finley launched a ‘call for concepts’ on Thursday, asking businesses, not-for-profits and the volunteer sector to come up with fundamentally new ideas for jointly financing improvements in the lives of the needy. The launch is a tentative step into the realm of social financing — an approach that is being tested in the United Kingdom and the United States. It invites private-sector investors to provide up-front money and then collect a return on projects government traditionally pays for, such as homelessness or hunger…”
Services Provided by Food Banks
Food banks expand beyond hunger, By Phyllis Korkki, November 8, 2012, New York Times: “For the recent East Coast hurricane, as in other emergencies, food banks were on the front lines with food, bottled water and cleaning supplies. They have long held sway in the public consciousness as providers of nonperishables. But in fact, holding food drives and handing out cans of soup and tuna make up only a small part of what food banks do over the course of a year. Count the timely provision of fresh produce and nutrition education as among their newer core duties. For millions of people, food banks have become more than a stopgap measure; rather, they are a chronic coping strategy, said Maura Daly, chief communication and development officer at Feeding America, the umbrella organization for the nation’s 200-plus food banks…”