- State health plans in jeopardy, By Julie Appleby, February 1, 2010, USA Today: “Sherie Brace fears the coming of summer. That’s when a special health insurance program for low-income adults in Washington state is set to close, ending coverage for her and about 65,000 others. ‘I’m terrified they’ll cut it out. Then I would not be able to go to the doctor if I have an asthma attack,’ says Brace, 52, who has had asthma for years. She earns about $12,000 a year working for a Seattle-area home health care agency that gives workers $50 a month toward health costs. The troubled economy is forcing Washington and other states to pare back health insurance programs for low-income people, even as growing joblessness boosts demand for help. Five of six states that use state funds to assist adults not covered by Medicaid are considering cuts, barring new enrollment or raising fees…”
- States restart health-care push, By Ana Wilde Mathews, February 2, 2010, Wall Street Journal: “With the fate of a national health care overhaul unclear, state legislators are pushing their own bills aimed at expanding coverage, though tight budgets are likely to hinder many of these efforts. Lawmakers in at least two states, California and Missouri, have introduced legislation for the current session to create government-backed coverage for state residents. In others, including Virginia and New Jersey, legislators are hoping to tweak existing state programs to include more people. In 11 states, lawmakers have proposed bills for this year aimed at improving access to health care, said the National Conference of State Legislatures…”
Poverty-related issues in the news, from the Institute for Research on Poverty