- W.Va. has 10th-highest teen birth rate in US, By Shay Maunz, February 5, 2013, Charleston Daily Mail: “West Virginia’s teen birth rate has improved over the last year, but the gap between the percentage of teen mothers in the state versus the country is bigger now than ever. For years, the number of teen births in West Virginia was trending slowly but steadily down, right along with national figures. But in 2006, the teen birth rate in West Virginia began to worsen while the national rate continued to improve. The disparity between the two became worse than ever. New data from Kids Count, a child advocacy group, shows that in 2011, West Virginia’s teen birth rate was 46.3 per 1,000 teens. That’s far worse than the national average of 37.5 for every 1,000 teens…”
- W.Va.’s teen birth rate down, Kids Count data says, By Lori Kersey, February 5, 2013, Charleston Gazette: “Fewer West Virginia teenagers had babies in 2010 than in 2009, but the state still ranks among the 10 highest in the country for children born to teenage mothers, according to a study released to Tuesday from Kids Count West Virginia. The teen birth rate for West Virginia and the nation had been on the decrease for decades until 2006 and 2007, when both rates increased. In 2008, the national rate declined again, while West Virginia’s rate continued to increase. But the latest data shows that in 2010, West Virginia’s teen birth rate fell to 45 births per 1,000 teenage girls. That’s down from 50 births per 1,000 teenagers in 2009. Officials are hopeful, but they aren’t sure what to make of the decline…”
Author: townsend
Child Welfare System – Colorado
Colorado announces sweeping reforms to child welfare system, By Jordan Steffen, Christopher N. Osher and Jennifer Brown, February 6, 2013, Denver Post: “Gov. John Hickenlooper on Wednesday revealed sweeping reforms to the state’s child welfare system, including a multipart plan that will create a statewide hotline for reporting child abuse and neglect, new training on how to assess those reports, and a study of workloads and caseloads of child protection workers. The plan also will steer resources to troubled families before actual abuse and neglect occur by delivering services through nurses, parenting classes and additional resources…”
States and Medicaid Expansion
- Ohio to seek expansion of Medicaid, By Lisa Bernard-Kuhn, February 4, 2013, USA Today: “Medicaid coverage will be expanded to nearly 600,000 low-income Ohioans now left out of the program as part of the state’s two-year budget Gov. John R. Kasich proposed Monday. The move positions Ohio among a contingent of Republican-led states including Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico and North Dakota that are leaning toward extending coverage, an option given to states under the federal Affordable Care Act…”
- Snyder urges Michigan lawmakers to approve Medicaid expansion, By Kathleen Gray and Robin Erb, February 6, 2013, Detroit Free Press: “A day before he delivers his budget message to the state Legislature, Gov. Rick Snyder gave his unconditional support for an expansion of Medicaid to include about 450,000 more uninsured, low-income Michiganders into the program…”
- Governor takes a pass on expanding Medicaid, By Bill Toland, February 5, 2013, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: “Pennsylvania is taking a pass on a major expansion to its Medicaid program, at least for now. Republican Gov. Tom Corbett, in a letter sent today to U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, said that ‘The Medicaid program in Pennsylvania is on an unsustainable path. … I firmly believe we can serve more of our citizens in Pennsylvania, but only if we are given the independence and flexibility to do so. At this time, without serious reforms, it would be financially unsustainable for Pennsylvania taxpayers, and I cannot recommend a dramatic Medicaid expansion,’ said the letter, released today as part of the governor’s budget address…”
- Gov. Jay Nixon’s Medicaid proposal would mean millions for health care industry, By Elizabeth Crisp, February 5, 2013, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: “Missouri health care providers stand to see a significant boost in payments for treating Medicaid patients under Gov. Jay Nixon’s proposal to expand the health care program for the poor. The budget proposal Nixon released last week would close a long-standing gap between what Medicaid pays for health care and what providers get on the private market, but it would also add millions to the federal government’s tab for the expansion…”
- U.S. government would pick up bulk of cost of state Medicaid expansion, By Jason Stein, February 5, 2013, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: “Federal money available under the new health care law would allow Wisconsin to cover up to 175,000 more people through its BadgerCare program for the needy, a study from the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau estimates. The state would save $66 million in the first three years, but then pay back those savings and pay up to $67 million more in the subsequent four years. However, those numbers are dwarfed by the federal money available – a projected $4.38 billion, or 66 times the state’s investment – to provide health care through 2020. Gov. Scott Walker gave little sign Tuesday that he would support such an expansion, warning through a spokesman that with all the budget pressures in Washington, the federal money might not materialize – leaving the state on the hook…”