- Raising minimum wage would ease income gap but carries political risks, By Annie Lowrey, February 13, 2013, New York Times: ” President Obama called on Congress to raise the federal minimum wage to $9 an hour from $7.25 and to automatically adjust it with inflation, a move aimed at increasing the earnings of millions of cooks, janitors, aides to the elderly and other low-wage workers. The proposal directly addresses the country’s yawning levels of income inequality, which the White House has tried to reduce with targeted tax credits, a major expansion of health insurance, education and other proposals. But it is sure to be politically divisive, especially given the weakness of the recovery and the continued high levels of joblessness…”
- The impact of a $9 minimum wage, By Tami Luhby, February 13, 2013, CNNMoney: “After promising five years ago to raise the federal minimum wage, President Obama finally unveiled a plan to do so on Tuesday. In his State of the Union address, Obama pressed to raise the hourly rate in stages to $9 an hour in 2015, up from the current $7.25, and index it to inflation. The change, should it become law, would boost the wages of 15 million Americans, according to the White House…”
- Minimum wage in Europe offers ammunition in U.S. debate, By Liz Alderman, February 13, 2013, New York Times: “Now that President Barack Obama has proposed an increase in the U.S. minimum wage, people on both sides of the debate in Washington might want to look to Europe for ammunition. Minimum wage policies vary widely across the Continent, and as Europe grapples with the austerity measures that governments have imposed to help overcome its long-running debt crisis, the issue — especially the way minimum wages affect growth and competitiveness — is as important as ever…”
- Obama’s call for higher minimum wage could have ripple effect, By Marilyn Geewax, February 13, 2013, National Public Radio: “So maybe the Great Recession really is over. After more than five years of recession and painfully slow recovery, President Obama has sent a powerful signal that he thinks the U.S. economy is now in much better shape — good enough, at least, to provide workers with raises. In his State of the Union address Tuesday night, Obama called upon Congress to boost the federal minimum wage to $9 an hour by 2015, up from the current $7.25. The wage would rise in steps, and after hitting the maximum in two years, would thereafter be indexed to inflation. In the president’s first term, the unemployment rate was very high, peaking at 10 percent in October 2009. And during those four years, Obama never seriously pushed Congress for legislation to force employers to pay more…”
- Reaction mixed to Obama’s bid to hike minimum wage, By Don Lee and Shan Li, February 14, 2013, Los Angeles Times: “President Obama’s new proposal to set a higher floor for wages faces an uphill battle in Congress — and the fight may well boil down to a matter of timing. Obama, in his State of the Union address, called for increasing the minimum wage to $9 an hour from $7.25 in gradual stages by 2015. He said it was aimed at lifting families above the poverty line and putting more money in the pockets of consumers, which would end up helping companies. While unions and labor advocates praised the proposal, Republican leaders and business groups immediately lined up against it, calling it an anti-jobs idea…”
- Obama, business groups differ on minimum wage plan, Associated Press, February 14, 2013, Ventura County Star: “President Barack Obama says raising the minimum wage to $9 an hour and tying future increases to inflation will boost the incomes of millions living in poverty and spur job growth by pouring more money into the economy. But business groups are not so sure. They complain that increasing the federal rate from $7.25 an hour would discourage employers from hiring new workers, hurting the very people Obama aims to help. Obama pointed out in his State of the Union address Tuesday that 19 states and the District of Columbia already have minimum wages set above the federal rate of $7.25, creating a vast wage disparity across the country…”
Author: townsend
Jobless Benefits – North Carolina
North Carolina lawmakers move to slash unemployment help, By Michael A. Fletcher, February 12, 2013, Washington Post: “North Carolina lawmakers Tuesday moved to drastically slash jobless benefits, joining the ranks of states that have decided they can no longer sustain the growing financial burden of the unemployed. Despite having one of the nation’s highest jobless rates, North Carolina’s government took steps to enact some of most severe benefit cuts in the country. The measure would shrink the maximum period of time someone could receive state jobless benefits to 20 weeks from 26 weeks and reduce the maximum weekly benefit to $350 from $535. The state Senate gave preliminary approval to the proposal on Tuesday, and Gov. Pat McCrory (R) has promised to sign it into law, which would take effect July 1. The reduction in benefits has another dire consequence for North Carolina’s unemployed. Unless they collect at least 26 weeks of unemployment checks from the state, they are disqualified from getting jobless benefits from the federal government, which add up to an additional 47 weeks of aid…”
States and Medicaid Expansion
- Health law’s Medicaid expansion moves forward, but with many questions, By Tony Pugh, February 12, 2013, Sacramento Bee: “In the largest one-year enrollment bump in program history, 8 million Americans are expected to gain health insurance in 2014 through Medicaid under the nation’s massive health care overhaul. The Medicaid expansion is a signature provision of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and will mark a symbolic turning point in the controversial public and private effort to provide health insurance for all Americans. Yet questions about the cost of the expansion, whether states will cooperate and a potential shortage of care providers has cast a cloud of uncertainty over the move as the nation’s rapidly evolving health care system readies for this rare jolt of newly insured patients – and whatever surprises come with them…”
- Medicaid decision awaited from 12 GOP governors, By Kelly Kennedy, February 13, 2013, USA Today: “Twelve Republican governors considering expanding their states’ Medicaid programs are being lobbied by hospital companies seeking extra revenue and weighing financial benefits that economists and health care experts say are too good to ignore. The six Republican governors have said they would participate in the expansion of the federal-state health care program for low-income residents are from Arizona, Michigan, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio and Nevada. An additional 11 Republican governors have declined to participate, and 12 others have not announced a decision…”
- Walker rejects Medicaid expansion, proposes alternate plan to cover uninsured, By Mary Spicuzza, February 13, 2013, Wisconsin State Journal: “Republican Gov. Scott Walker announced Wednesday that he is rejecting the federal Medicaid expansion. But he said he would work to expand coverage for Wisconsinites with a alternate plan relying on private health care exchanges. Walker said his plan would reduce the number of uninsured by 224,580 people, but said he would do so by moving people into private exchanges rather than Medicaid…”
- Walker rejects full Medicaid expansion, says 224,000 more to be covered, By Jason Stein, February 13, 2013, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: “The state would turn down a full expansion of the BadgerCare program under the federal health care law but 224,600 more state residents would still gain coverage through state and federal efforts, under a proposal unveiled by Gov. Scott Walker Wednesday…”
- Colorado survey shows expanding Medicaid saves money, By Kelly Kennedy, February 13, 2013, USA Today: “Colorado economists say it would cost their taxpayers nothing to expand the state’s Medicaid program through President Obama’s health law — and it would likely bring in $128 million in local tax revenue…”
- Study: Expanding Medicaid would infuse $3.4B into economy, By Chris Sikich, February 11, 2013, Indianapolis Star: “Expanding Indiana’s Medicaid program under the Affordable Care Act would create up to $3.4 billion in economic activity, according to a report released today by the University of Nebraska Medical Center for Public Health…”
- Medicaid expansion profitable for state?, By Tom LoBianco (AP), February 13, 2013, South Bend Tribune: “A study released Monday by the Indiana Hospital Association estimates that expanding Medicaid would generate billions of dollars in economic growth for the state, a stark contrast from the budget-busting projections cited by former Gov. Mitch Daniels. The hospital association’s study estimates that using the federal expansion to cover an additional 406,000 residents would cost Indiana $503 million but pump several times that amount back into the economy over the next seven years. An actuary hired by former Gov. Daniels’ administration found the expansion would cost a budget-busting $2.6 billion over the same time frame…”