Nashville poverty down, but disparities still deep, By Tony Gonzalez, April 28, 2015, The Tennessean: “Poverty in Nashville lessened for the fourth straight year in 2013, but pockets of high need have proliferated since 2000, according to the latest Metro Social Services analysis presented Tuesday. The overall poverty rate dipped to 17.8 percent, but the higher rate for children remained stubborn at 30.5 percent. Poverty for a family of four is defined as no more than $24,250 in household income…”
Month: April 2015
Health Care for Foster Children – Wisconsin
Program streamlines health care for foster children, By Robert Gebelhoff, April 27, 2015, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: “Not long ago, when doctors were assigned to provide primary care for foster children, they would spend hours on the phone trying to find specialists willing to provide other medical needs, such as mental health or dental care. Thomasien Malsch, manager at three Milwaukee-area Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin clinics, said her team would put in at least 20 calls at times to find specialists willing to take the children on. That frustrating process has eased considerably with the establishment of Care4Kids, a private-public partnership between Children’s and the state departments of Children and Families and Health Services…”
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
- Health law brings growth in food stamps in some states, By Carla K. Johnson and David Mercer (AP), April 22, 2015, ABC News: “President Barack Obama’s health care law has had a surprising side effect: In some states, it appears to be enticing more Americans to apply for food stamps, even as the economy improves. New, streamlined application systems built for the health care overhaul are making it easier for people to enroll in government benefit programs, including insurance coverage and food stamps…”
- Pa. to eliminate asset test for food stamps, By Alfred Lubrano, April 21, 2015, Philadelphia Inquirer: “Pennsylvania will eliminate the asset test for food stamps as of Monday, a spokeswoman for the Department of Human Services announced Tuesday evening. The controversial test, initiated by then-Gov. Tom Corbett in 2012, ties federal food-stamp benefits – now known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP – to people’s bank accounts and car ownership. Corbett saw the test as a way to cut down on fraud and waste…”