USDA: Many Americans struggling to find enough to eat, By Christopher Doering, September 5, 2013, USA Today: “Americans are having a hard time getting enough food as the economic downturn continues to weigh on households throughout the country, according to a report released by the Agriculture Department Wednesday. The report said 14.5% of households, or about 49 million people in 17.6 million households, were food insecure during 2012. While the figure was down slightly from 14.9% reported in 2011, the highest level since the USDA began collecting data in 1995, the government said the decline could be the result of the sampling pool used to complete the study…”
Millions still struggle with hunger in U.S., USDA finds, By Tony Pugh, September 4, 2013, Anchorage Daily News: “Some 17.6 million U.S. households had trouble feeding their family members at times last year as ‘food insecurity’ remained at near-record levels for the fifth straight year, according to a government report released Wednesday…”
Medicaid expansion gap could leave poor shortchanged, By Kelly Kennedy, September 5, 2013, USA Today: “The decision of some states not to expand Medicaid means that the nation’s poorest — those the Affordable Care Act would have helped the most — may not receive any help at all. That’s because the 2010 law was written to provide Medicaid coverage for those making less than 100% of the federal poverty level, $23,550 for a family of four, in all 50 states. Because those Americans were to get Medicaid coverage, they were not made eligible for the federal tax subsidies that would help them pay for health insurance they will be required to buy…”
Kentucky Medicaid expansion, healthcare exchanges proceed with judge’s approval, By Tom Loftus, September 3, 2013, Louisville Courier-Journal: “The Beshear administration’s plans to expand Medicaid and begin enrollment in Kentucky’s new health care exchange survived their first court challenge Tuesday. In separate rulings, Franklin Circuit Judge Phillip Shepherd upheld both decisions by Gov. Steve Beshear intended to expand access to health care to 640,000 uninsured Kentuckians under the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare…”
Thousands of Hoosiers will keep coverage with deal to extend Healthy Indiana Plan, By Maureen Groppe and John Russell, September 3, 2013, Indianapolis Star: “President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul envisioned that about half of Indiana’s uninsured residents would get coverage through an expansion of Medicaid, the jointly run federal and state health program for the poor. A compromise that GOP Gov. Mike Pence reached with the Obama administration Tuesday would let tens of thousands of low-income Hoosiers continue to get health care next year through an alternative Medicaid program that includes cost sharing and fewer benefits. And the deal leaves up in the air whether Indiana will see a full expansion of Medicaid to cover hundreds of thousands of poor, uninsured Hoosiers…”
Ballot is ‘Plan B’ for expanding Medicaid, By Catherine Candisky, September 5, 2013, Columbus Dispatch: “If lawmakers don’t approve Gov. John Kasich’s plan to expand Medicaid, voters could decide whether to give tax-funded health coverage to an additional 275,000 poor Ohioans. A coalition of health-care providers, unions, businesses, religious organizations and other advocates for the uninsured launched a campaign yesterday that could put the plan on the November 2014 statewide ballot…”
Change in Kansas food stamp rules could cut off 20,000 recipients, By Brad Cooper, September 4, 2013, Kansas City Star: “Gov. Sam Brownback’s administration announced steps Wednesday to nudge more people off public assistance to encourage them to find jobs. The Kansas Department for Children and Families said that beginning Oct. 1, an estimated 20,000 unemployed Kansas residents who receive food stamps will be forced to work at least 20 hours a week to keep the benefit…”
Kansas to require able-bodied adults with no children to work before getting food stamps, Associated Press, September 4, 2013, Washington Post: “A federal waiver that allowed about 20,000 unemployed Kansas residents to receive food assistance will be allowed to expire at the end of the month, state officials announced Wednesday, saying they wanted to encourage work over welfare dependency. The Kansas Department for Children and Families said able-bodied adults with no dependents would need to work no less than 20 hours per week to qualify for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as SNAP or food stamps…”
