Kids Count study ranks Maine high for healthy kids and good communities, finds state lacking in education, By Susan McMillan, July 26, 2012, Morning Sentinel: “Maine does well in providing for its children’s health and family and community environments, but they fare less well in education and economic well-being. Maine ranked 13th among the states in the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s annual Kids Count report assessing children’s well-being. The three top states were New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Vermont; among the New England states, only Rhode Island ranked lower than Maine…”
Survey: N.H. tops list for well-being of children, Associated Press, July 26, 2012, Seacoastonline: “New Hampshire continues to be the top state in a national survey of children’s well-being, according to a report released Wednesday. The Annie E. Casey Foundation Kids Count Data Book showed that the state improved in child education and health care, based mostly on 2010 data. Massachusetts was the second best state, followed by Vermont. Nevada, New Mexico and Mississippi were ranked the bottom three states, respectively…”
State is 3rd in Kids Count child well-being survey, By Molly Walsh, July 27, 2012, Burlington Free Press: “Life is looking up for Shayla Messier since she found her way to the green hilltop where the Family Center of Washington County sits. The 23-year-old single mom from Barre says her 2year-old son Cole is thriving in the center’s child care program and she’s benefited from parenting classes that offer tips on everything from budgeting to stress management. She’s earning a certificate in early childhood development and hopes to find a permanent job at a preschool soon. Messier wants to get off public assistance and said the Family Center’s programs brought her to the following realization: ‘I didn’t have to be that single mom on Reach Up.’ Gov. Peter Shumlin and other state leaders gathered at the Family Center Wednesday to praise Vermont programs for at-risk families and to announce the results of the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s 2012 KIDS COUNT survey. It shows that Vermont ranks third-best in the nation for child well-being…”
Report: Pennsylvania ranks 14th in overall child well-being, By Angie Mason, July 25, 2012, York Daily Record: “Pennsylvania ranks relatively well among other states in a report on child well-being, but some advocates say the challenge will be making sure it stays that way. The 2012 Kids Count Data Book, released Wednesday by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, ranks states on overall child well-being, using 16 indicators in four categories – education, health, economic well-being, and family and community. Pennsylvania is ranked 14th overall. The state ranks eighth in the areas of education and health. The report shows more Pennsylvania kids are attending preschool, achieving reading proficiency in fourth grade and math proficiency in eighth grade, and fewer without health insurance. But the state ranks lower in other categories – 17th in economic well-being, and 23rd in family and community. The percentage of kids in poverty has increased, as well as the percentage of kids whose parents don’t have secure employment. Single-parent families have increased, too, according to the report…”
New York ranks 29th in nationwide analysis of children’s well-being, By Jennifer Thompson, July 25, 2012, Syracuse Post-Standard: “More children in New York state have health insurance and the teen pregnancy rate has dropped, but more children in the state are living in poverty and in single-parent families, according to a report released Wednesday by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. New York state ranks 29th in the nation in the foundation’s 2012 Kids Count report, which measures children’s well-being in the areas of health, economic security, education and family/community…”
NH joins Idaho in new welfare limits for disabled, By Norma Love (AP), February 19, 2012, Idaho Statesman: “Legally blind since she was 9, Chrissy Fairbanks just got word she’s losing the $363 state welfare check she got each month from New Hampshire because she gets federal assistance due to her disability. The 31-year-old Keene resident says her girls, ages 11 and 12, are taking the news well that their clothes will come from the clearance rack and there will be no more trips to the ice skating rink. ‘I already sat down with the girls and told them we were going to have a budget cut. The grabbing something to eat when we go out walking isn’t going to happen,’ she said. Of the 5,600 New Hampshire families that receive state welfare assistance, Fairbanks is among 1,136 families who will lose that aid because the state is counting Supplemental Security Income for residents too disabled to work in calculating their welfare grant. Another 420 people will receive reduced welfare benefits as a result, said state Family Assistance Director Terry Smith…”
Lawmakers urged to revoke 20 percent pay cut on personal care assistants, By Elizabeth Dunbar, February 17, 2012, Minnesota Public Radio: ” Some personal care assistants in Minnesota are urging lawmakers to revoke a new law that cuts their pay by 20 percent. More than 17,000 Minnesotans with disabilities rely on personal care assistants to help them with everyday tasks like eating and getting dressed. In about a third of the cases, family members are paid to provide this care to their adult relatives. To help balance the state’s budget last year, the Legislature reduced personal care assistant wages paid to family members. A judge has temporarily blocked the cut. But personal care assistants say lawmakers still need to find a permanent fix…”
Medicaid overhaul leaves questions, By Benjamin Yelle, February 13, 2012, Keene Sentinel: “A plan to change the way Medicaid services are delivered in New Hampshire has service providers and family members searching for answers – and time is running out. Gov. John H. Lynch and the N.H. Executive Council are scheduled to act in March on contracts for so-called ‘managed care’ of Medicaid clients. Medicaid is a federal program that provides medical and social services to low-income Americans. It has two components: acute care, which is similar to health insurance, and covers things like doctor’s visits, and long-term or chronic care, which covers permanent developmental disabilities, acquired brain injuries and other serious or recurring ailments. In the Monadnock Region about 1,000 people receive such services. The state Legislature voted in 2011 to send Medicaid services out to bid to private, for-profit companies to take over administration from the N.H. Department of Health and Human Services…”
Feds deny part of Fla. Medicaid proposal, By Kelli Kennedy (AP), February 11, 2012, Miami Herald: “Republican lawmakers’ quest to expand a Medicaid privatization program statewide was dealt a blow this week after federal health officials said the state could not impose $10 monthly premiums on Medicaid beneficiaries. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services also denied the state’s proposal to charge $100 co-pays for any non-emergency ER visits, according to a letter sent Thursday. Federal health officials said the fees violated several statutes designed to protect nearly 3 million of state’s most vulnerable…”
Medicaid managed care companies defend their efforts in Kentucky, By John Cheves, February 13, 2012, Lexington Herald-Leader: “Three companies hired last year to manage most of the state’s Medicaid program on Monday defended their efforts thus far and said they’re working to resolve problems. Lawmakers on the Program Review and Investigations Committee quizzed executives with Coventry Cares, Kentucky Spirit and WellCare of Kentucky, which manage Medicaid outside of the Louisville area under a cost-cutting plan implemented in November by Gov. Steve Beshear…”
