Changed life of the poor: better off, but far behind, By Annie Lowrey, April 30, 2014, New York Times: “Is a family with a car in the driveway, a flat-screen television and a computer with an Internet connection poor? Americans — even many of the poorest — enjoy a level of material abundance unthinkable just a generation or two ago. That indisputable economic fact has become a subject of bitter political debate this year, half a century after President Lyndon B. Johnson declared a war on poverty…”
Day: May 9, 2014
ACA and Medicaid Expansion
- Medicaid’s new patients: healthier, and maybe cheaper, By Dan Gorenstein, May 9, 2014, Marketplace: “Since the launch of the Affordable Care Act last fall, some five million more Americans have enrolled in the nation’s healthcare program for low-income people. With only half the states expanding their Medicaid programs under the Affordable Care Act, researchers believe that number would double if all 50 states moved ahead, and several new reports suggest it may be cheaper for states to go ahead than previously estimated…”
- Pa. plan to cover the uninsured back on track?, By Amy Worden and Don Sapatkin, May 8, 2014, Philadelphia Inquirer: “Signaling progress in its negotiations with the federal government, the Corbett administration said Thursday that it expected by January to launch its plan to provide health-care coverage for more than 500,000 low-income Pennsylvanians who lack insurance. Officials said they were so confident that the program would be up and running by Jan. 1 that they had decided to start soliciting contract proposals from private insurers. They hope to name at least two insurers for each of nine regions statewide by Aug. 1…”
- Governor weighs Medicaid options, By Mike Dennison, May 9, 2014, Helena Independent Record: “A coalition of health care and business lobbies, state lawmakers and Gov. Steve Bullock’s office has been quietly discussing options to expand Medicaid in Montana, hoping to craft a compromise on the politically charged topic. ‘I think there are a lot of folks trying to come up with a solution,’ said Sen. Ed Buttrey, R-Great Falls, who’s part of the group. ‘The goals are cheaper cost, better (medical) service and a healthier population…”
Farmers Markets and SNAP – California
New $2.5-million grant will help poor buy fresh, locally grown produce, By Russ Parsons, May 8, 2014, Los Angeles Times: “Market Match, an innovative program that aims to increase the amount of fresh produce available to low-income families by providing them matching funds to shop at farmers markets, has received a $2.5-million grant from First 5 L.A. that may as much as triple its reach over the next five years. The program provides a dollar-for-dollar match for all EBT and WIC recipients, up to $10 per week. The program has grown rapidly over the last four years, but this grant will allow it to expand its reach and standardize what previously had sometimes been a hodgepodge of rules and benefits…”