- States urged to expand Medicaid with private insurance, By Robert Pear, March 21, 2013, New York Times: “The White House is encouraging skeptical state officials to expand Medicaid by subsidizing the purchase of private insurance for low-income people, even though that approach might be somewhat more expensive, federal and state officials say…”
- Sebelius: GOP governors will eventually expand Medicaid, By Kelly Kennedy, March 21, 2013, USA Today: ” Republican governors and GOP-controlled legislatures will eventually decide to expand Medicaid in their states because the financial benefits are too big to ignore, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in an interview Thursday with USA TODAY…”
- Iowa Senate expected to OK Medicaid expansion plan, By William Petroski, March 21, 2013, Des Moines Register: “The Iowa Senate is expected to approve a plan Monday to provide Medicaid health insurance to thousands of additional low-income Iowans, despite opposition from Republican Gov. Terry Branstad…”
- Republicans in Tallahassee back alternative Medicaid expansion plan, By Tia Mitchell, March 20, 2013, Miami Herald: “Top Senate Republicans, who last week said no to expanding Medicaid, want to instead use the $55 billion offered as part of President Barack Obama’s health care law to funnel poor Floridians into subsidized, private health insurance. The plan, crafted by Sen. Joe Negron, R-Stuart, would expand the state’s Florida Healthy Kids program to cover qualifying adults 18 and over. People in the expanded plan would be required to pay small premiums and co-pays, and they would have access to health reimbursement accounts to help cover out-of-pocket expenses…”
- State House Republicans reject Snyder’s Medicaid expansion proposal, By Kathleen Gray and Paul Egan, March 21, 2013, Detroit Free Press: “Gov. Rick Snyder’s proposal to expand Medicaid to nearly 500,000 Michigan residents, is not getting a warm reception in the state House of Representatives. The Appropriations subcommittee handling the Department of Community Health budget passed the funding document without the Medicaid expansion, as well as other Snyder proposals, including: dental services for low-income children, health and wellness initiatives, mental health and substance abuse services for veterans and an infant mortality program…”
Day: March 22, 2013
Kids Count Report – Colorado
Colorado’s child poverty rate almost doubles in 10 years, By Jordan Steffen, March 19, 2013, Denver Post: “Colorado has the second fastest growing rate of child poverty in the nation, according a Kids Count Colorado, an annual report from Colorado Children’s Campaign. The report, part of the Anne E. Casey Foundation’s national Kids County project, found that the rate of children living in poverty almost doubled between 2000 and 2011, to 18 percent from 10 percent, a trend experts say could get worse as the state slowly recovers from recent economic recessions. Only Nevada’s child-poverty rate increased more quickly…”
Child Welfare Systems
- State making improvements, but too many children still abused, says group, By Megha Satyanarayana and Ann Zaniewski, March 20, 2013, Detroit Free Press: “While the state continues to make improvements in child welfare, too many children in foster homes are still being subject to abuse, a child advocacy group said in federal court today. The New York-based Children’s Rights and the Michigan Department of Human Services met in court for a periodic check of reforms mandated by a lawsuit filed in 2006 on behalf of the thousands of children in the state’s foster care system. A 2008 consent decree that called for a complete overhaul of the system was amended in 2011, and Wednesday’s hearing was a reflection of the first complete reporting period under the new agreement, January through June 2012…”
- Abuse in Milwaukee child welfare system at historic low; stability problems persist, By Crocker Stephenson, March 22, 2013, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: “While the percentage of children who suffered maltreatment while they were in the care of the Bureau of Milwaukee Child Welfare continued to hover at historic lows during 2012, too many children bounced from caregiver to caregiver and too many of the front-line workers responsible for their safety and stability left their jobs, according to a report released Friday…”