IRP Poverty Dispatch

Unemployment and Older Workers

townsend — Tue, 15 May 2012 21:35:45 +0000

Over 55 and jobless, Americans face tough hunt, By Susan Heavey, May 15, 2012, Chicago Tribune: “Jean Coyle, 67, has a new kind of ministry. The former professor had just begun a career as a Presbyterian minister in Virginia when the economic downturn forced her church to let her go in 2007. After that, she found only temporary work. She relied on savings while job hunting, but at 64, had to dip into her Social Security benefits. She officially retired in 2010. For spending money, she plans to start teaching a water aerobics class to earn $40 a week. ‘I’m not going to get wealthy on that,’ she said. ‘It’s not really the ministry I expected to have.’ Coyle is among the many unemployed, older Americans who, while struggling to reenter the workforce, have growing worries that their retirement security is at risk. The number of long-term unemployed workers aged 55 and older has more than doubled since the recession began in late 2007. Getting back to work is increasingly difficult, according to a government report being released on Tuesday…”

American Community Survey

townsend — Tue, 15 May 2012 21:32:53 +0000

Survey for health, poverty benefits threatened in Congress, By Elizabeth Landau, May 15, 2012, CNN.com: “Americans needing health insurance or disability services could be overlooked by their local governments if a bill now being considered by the Senate passes. It would eliminate a survey that some call a vital source of information about health indicators of millions of Americans, but which House Republicans say is too expensive and raises privacy concerns. It’s called the American Community Survey. The Census Bureau surveys about a quarter of a million Americans every month. Community officials, academics and businesses rely on this information to understand the markets they operate in and the needs of individual localities. The House last week passed a Republican-backed bill that would cut the survey altogether, citing costs and privacy issues…”

Earned Income Tax Credit - Michigan

townsend — Tue, 15 May 2012 21:30:11 +0000

Michigan League for Human Services says Saginaw workers will lose most with reduced Earned Income Tax Credit, By Kathryn Lynch-Morin, May 14, 2012, Saginaw News: “Working families in Michigan could see a tax increase from the reduced Earned Income Tax Credit , and Saginaw workers could be hit the hardest, according to the Michigan League for Human Services. A report released Monday by the organization estimates working families in Michigan will see their taxes increase by as much as $244 million in 2013 as the state’s Earned Income Tax Credit is reduced from 20 percent to 6 percent…”

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program

townsend — Mon, 14 May 2012 22:25:43 +0000

USDA to push access to farmers markets, By Meghann Meyers, May 11, 2012, Philadelphia Inquirer: “Farmers markets are a popular source of reasonably priced fresh produce, but across the country many accept only cash or checks - a big problem for low-income shoppers using food stamps. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is trying to change that. Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan this week announced a $4 million grant for states to help implement wireless technology that will allow more farmers markets to accept Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, or food stamps. Markets need wireless Internet or land-line connections in order to accept payments from customers using government benefits, a system known as Electronic Benefits Transfer…”
Demand for food stamps down slightly in Tampa area, By Kevin Wiatrowski, May 14, 2012, Tampa Tribune: “The demand for food stamps has begun to slow in the Tampa area and statewide, but millions of Floridians still need help feeding themselves and their children. That’s according to the most recent accounting by the state Department of Children and Families, which tracks enrollment in aid programs such a food stamps, cash welfare and Medicaid. DCF spokeswoman Erin Gillespie said the flattening out of food stamp demand mirrors the slow improvement in the state’s employment numbers, which fell to 9 percent last month…”

State Cuts to Programs for the Poor - Maine

townsend — Mon, 14 May 2012 22:22:38 +0000

Cuts will close some Head Start programs, say advocates, By Christopher Cousins, May 14, 2012, Maine Sun Journal: “Proposed cuts the Legislature will consider next week to funding for Head Start and day care voucher programs are prompting educators to sound the alarm that the cuts will affect not only the children and families involved, but Maine’s economy as a whole. A supplemental budget bill passed Thursday by Republicans on the Legislature’s Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee restores some funding that Gov. Paul LePage proposed to eliminate altogether, but experts say the reduced funding will have severe detrimental effects. Targeted for cuts are the Head Start program, child care subsidies for parents who are either working or continuing their education and funding for home visits for children in low-income families…”
GOP plan cuts health benefits for at least 21,500, By Susan M. Cover, May 11, 2012, Kennebec Journal: “Republicans are proposing state budget cuts that would eliminate MaineCare for more than 20,000 people, end prescription drug benefits for about 1,500 elderly Mainers and reduce state funding for Head Start and other programs. Republican and Democrat legislators parted ways Thursday on a budget that highlights the stark philosophical differences between the parties and is raising tension in an election year. Democrats say Republicans are underestimating the extent of the proposed cuts, based on estimates they have from advocates. Republicans say agencies that receive state funds can cut administrative costs, rather than hurting children and elderly Mainers who benefit from the programs…”

Extended Jobless Benefits

townsend — Fri, 11 May 2012 21:16:23 +0000

Extended jobless benefits cut in eight states, By Michael A. Fletcher, May 10, 2012, Washington Post: “More than 230,000 jobless Americans will lose their unemployment insurance by this weekend as reductions in the federal program that provides extended benefits to the long-term unemployed take broader effect. The new round of reductions is hitting eight states this month, meaning that about 400,000 long-term unemployed Americans in 27 states will have been cut off of the federal government’s extended unemployment benefits program this year, according to an analysis by the National Employment Law Project, which advocates for the unemployed. The cuts stem from a congressional agreement this year that will reduce the maximum duration of unemployment benefits from 99 weeks to 79 weeks as the nation’s jobless rate declines…”

Medicaid Payments to Primary Care Doctors

townsend — Fri, 11 May 2012 21:15:02 +0000

Medicaid payments to primary care doctors will rise under new regulation, By N.C. Aizenman, May 9, 2012, Washington Post: “Primary care doctors could get a pay raise next year for treating Medicaid patients, under a rule announced by the Obama administration Wednesday. The proposed regulation implements a two-year pay increase included in the 2010 health-care law. The increase, effective in 2013 and 2014, brings primary care fees for Medicaid, which covers indigent patients, in line with those for Medicare, which insures the elderly and some disabled patients. Although Medicaid is jointly funded by states and the federal government, the pay boost would be covered entirely with federal dollars totaling more than $11 billion over the two years it would be in effect…”

Family Homelessness - Washington DC

townsend — Fri, 11 May 2012 21:12:41 +0000

Homelessness on the rise in D.C., Loudoun County, but steady in region, study shows, By Annie Gowen, May 9, 2012, Washington Post: “Although the overall number of homeless in the region remained virtually unchanged from last year, the number of families without homes rose for the third straight year and places such as the District and Loudoun County had significant overall increases, a yearly survey showed. The number of homeless people in the region dipped slightly - by 0.4 percent - to 11,830 this year, according to the annual ‘point-in-time’ homeless survey released Wednesday by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. In the District, the number of homeless families soared 18 percent and homelessness increased 6 percent overall, the report said. The District is struggling with a $7 million shortfall in services for the homeless after a loss of federal funding. The city’s family shelter is filled to capacity, and more than 100 families are living in motels along New York Avenue NE at an average cost of $100 a night…”

Global Premature Births

townsend — Fri, 11 May 2012 21:10:25 +0000

U.S. lags in global measure of premature births, By Donald G. McNeil Jr., May 2, 2012, New York Times: “Fifteen million babies are born prematurely each year, and the United States fared badly in the first country-by-country global comparison of premature births, which was released Wednesday by the World Health Organization and other agencies. Although American hospitals excel at saving premature infants, the United States is similar to developing countries in the percentage of mothers who give birth before their children are due, the study’s chief author noted. It does worse than any Western European country and considerably worse than Japan or the Scandinavian countries. That stems from the unique American combination of many pregnant teenagers and many women older than 35 who are giving birth, sometimes to twins or triplets implanted after in vitro fertilization, the authors said. Twins and triplets are often deliberately delivered early by Caesarean section to avoid the unpredictable risks of vaginally delivering multiple full-term babies…”
U.S. excels at saving preemies but yet ranks poorly globally, By Karen Herzog, May 2, 2012, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: “Even though hospitals in Milwaukee and elsewhere in the United States excel at saving premature infants, the nation fares as poorly as developing countries in the percentage of mothers who give birth before their child is due, according to the first country-by-country comparison of preterm births. The U.S. has the sixth-highest rate of preterm births among 184 countries and the highest among industrialized nations, says the March of Dimes report, ‘Born Too Soon: The Global Action Report on Preterm Birth.’ In Milwaukee, nearly 80% of babies who die before their first birthday are born before 37 weeks’ gestation, according to the Milwaukee Health Department. Premature birth is the No. 1 reason babies in Milwaukee die; a total of 100 babies died in the city in 2011, the Journal Sentinel reported as part of its Empty Cradles series on infant mortality…”

National Assessment of Educational Progress

townsend — Thu, 10 May 2012 20:19:24 +0000

U.S. schools show slight improvement on science test, By Greg Toppo, May 8, 2012, USA Today: “Despite years of educators’ complaints that reading and math are crowding out other school subjects, new findings from the federal government show that USA middle-schoolers’ basic knowledge of science is improving - at least a bit. Test results from the 2011 National Assessment of Educational Progress show that eighth-graders’ knowledge of basic science rose slightly from 2009 to 2011, with average scores on the latest NAEP assessment rising from 150 points to 152 - a small but statistically significant difference. The percentage of students rated ‘at or above proficient’ also rose slightly…”
Most 8th graders fall short on NAEP science test, By Sarah D. Spoke, May 10, 2012, Education Week: “Fewer than one-third of American 8th graders are proficient in science, but most students are improving, and achievement gaps are closing between students who are black or Hispanic and their white peers, a special administration of the test known as ‘the nation’s report card’ shows. The National Assessment Governing Board released findings Thursday morning on earth, life, and physical sciences mastery on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, or NAEP. The average 8th grade score rose from 150 in 2009 to 152 last year; that’s a statistically significant increase, but still well below 170, science proficiency on the test’s 300-point scale…”
National science test shows only slight improvement, By Lyndsey Layton, May 9, 2012, Washington Post: “National tests to measure science knowledge among eighth-graders show slight improvement compared with two years ago, but one-third of all students still lack a basic understanding of the physical, life and earth sciences, according to a federal study made public Thursday. The tests showed that black and Hispanic students had made slightly more progress than white students, making a small dent in persistent achievement gaps between the racial groups. The gender gap also has proved stubborn, with boys continuing to outperform girls in the science test, a trend consistent with results from 2009, the last year the science test was given…”
8th-grade students in US see slight gains on science test, but most still below proficiency, Associated Press, May 10, 2012, Washington Post: “Eighth-graders in the U.S. are doing better in science than they were two years ago, but seven out of 10 still are not considered proficient, the federal government said Thursday. What’s more, just 2 percent have the advanced skills that could lead to careers in the field. That’s from the 2011 National Assessment of Educational Progress, also known as the Nation’s Report Card, released by the U.S. Department of Education. The average score was 152, up from 150 in 2009…”

Access to Healthcare in the US

townsend — Thu, 10 May 2012 20:12:45 +0000

Cost blocks access to medical care for 1 in 4, study says, By Marni Jameson, May 8, 2012, Orlando Sentinel: “The number of Floridians who have gone without medical care they needed because they couldn’t afford it has increased to 1 in 4 over the past decade, according to a study released today. That 9.2 percent increase reflects a national trend, said the report from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, a nonprofit based in Princeton, N.J., that aims to improve America’s health. While Americans without health insurance experienced cost as an obstacle to medical care more often, even those with insurance saw their doctors less, too, the report said. Florida - where 25.1 percent of residents said they did not have their medical needs met because of cost - ranked third worst in the nation for that category, following closely behind Mississippi and Texas…”
Healthcare access to erode if law struck down: study, By David Morgan, May 7, 2012, Chicago Tribune: “Most Americans have seen a decade-long erosion in access to medical services that is likely to continue if President Barack Obama’s healthcare law is struck down by the Supreme Court or repealed in Congress, a study released on Monday shows. The study, one of a series on the fractured state of the $2.6 trillion U.S. healthcare system published in the May issue of the journal Health Affairs, says access to health care deteriorated for U.S. adults aged 19 to 64 between 2000 and 2010, even among those with private health insurance. The age group represents about 195 million people, according to U.S. Census data, and has been targeted for expanded health coverage under the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Obama’s signature domestic policy achievement…”

Joblessness and Unemployment

townsend — Wed, 09 May 2012 19:25:45 +0000

March job openings were the highest in almost four years, By Martin Crutsinger (AP), May 8, 2012, USA Today: “U.S. companies in March posted the highest number of job openings in nearly four years, a sign that hiring could strengthen after slowing this spring. The Labor Department said Tuesday that employers advertised 3.74 million job openings in March. That’s up from a revised 3.57 million in February. The March figure was the highest since July 2008, just before the financial crisis erupted. The increase in job openings suggests that weaker hiring gains in March and April could be temporary. It usually takes one to three months for employers to fill openings. Even with the increase, roughly 12.7 million people were unemployed in March. That means an average of 3.4 people competed for each open job. While that’s far better than the nearly 7-to-1 ratio when the recession ended, in a healthy job market, the ratio is around 2 to 1…”
Long-term unemployment affects nearly 30% of jobless Americans, By Tiffany Hsu, May 3, 2012, Los Angeles Times: “Nearly 30% of jobless Americans have been out of work for at least a year, according to the Pew Fiscal Analysis Initiative report on the first quarter. The report found that of the 13.3 million unemployed workers in the country, 3.9 million had been jobless for all or most of 2011. That’s more people than live in Oregon. That 29.5% long-term unemployment rate is slightly off the peak reached in the third quarter of last year, when 31.8% of jobless Americans were out of work for a year. But the current rate is still more than triple the 9.5% from the beginning of the recession…”
For the chronically unemployed in Calif., another blow ahead as federal benefits come to end, By Tracie Cone (AP), May 2, 2012, Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune: “With her anti-poverty budget stretched beyond its limits, Brenda Callahan-Johnson is braced for next Saturday: the day California’s chronically unemployed will be cut off from the nation’s jobless benefits. A drop in the state’s unemployment rate to 11 percent - its lowest mark in three years - is triggering the federal cutoff of emergency, long-term unemployment pay to at least 93,000 Californians. But in the state’s agricultural heartland, where Callahan-Johnson runs the Merced County Community Action Agency, a jobless rate of more than 20 percent - two and a half times the nationwide average of 8.2 percent - makes it difficult for some to believe an economic recovery has begun…”

State Medicaid Programs - Florida, Louisiana

townsend — Wed, 09 May 2012 19:20:37 +0000

Medicaid officials seek changes to Medically Needy Program, By Jim Saunders, May 8, 2012, Pensacola News Journal: “Florida Medicaid officials have asked the federal government to approve major changes in a program that serves tens of thousands of people with costly medical conditions, seeking to install a type of managed care and require monthly premium payments. The Agency for Health Care Administration, carrying out a 2011 law, requested changes in the state’s Medically Needy program. In a document sent to the federal government in late April, the agency said the proposed changes would improve care for beneficiaries…”
Private Medicaid providers enrolling in northwest Louisiana, By Melody Brumble, May 8, 2012, Shreveport Times: “Rhonda Matthews hopes Louisiana’s privately run Medicaid program, dubbed Bayou Health, brings more benefits than changes. Matthews quizzed representatives of five health plans at a recent enrollment meeting in Haughton before signing up with Amerigroup. Her sons, ages 16 and 5, have ADHD. She wants them to keep the same doctor and get the same level of care. She’s also covered by Medicaid. Louisiana started working to privatize its Medicaid program in 2010 primarily to save money. In theory, the health plans will provide greater access to preventive and prenatal care and specialists. The savings would come from keeping people with chronic illnesses out of the emergency room and babies out of newborn intensive care units…”

Summer Meal Program - Philadelphia, PA

townsend — Tue, 08 May 2012 21:18:30 +0000

District cuts affect summer meals for children, By Alfred Lubrano, May 4, 2012, Philadelphia Inquirer: “Fewer students will be eating free breakfast and lunch in summer school this year because budget troubles are forcing the School District of Philadelphia to reduce the number of academic and enrichment programs it offers. This year, about 10,000 students will be enrolled in summer programs, nearly half of the 19,000 who attended in 2011, a district representative said. Summer school will be available only to high school seniors who need credits to graduate, special-education students, and students who qualify for education programs funded by federal grants. That means parents will have to scramble to feed children - many of them low-income - who are accustomed to free school meals but will not receive them…”

Hospitals and Charity Care - Maine

townsend — Tue, 08 May 2012 21:12:03 +0000

Charity-care demands grow for hospitals, By Jessica Hall, May 6, 2012, Kennebec Journal: “Maine hospitals have doubled the amount of free care they provide over the past five years as the weak economy pushed more people out of work, and companies shifted an increasing amount of health care costs onto employees. ‘The economy is having a significant impact. As the economy continues to stay stagnant, companies are changing insurance. People are adjusting what insurance they carry and others have lost insurance,’ said Sue Hadiaris, vice president of planning and development at Southern Maine Medical Center in Biddeford. More scrutiny has been placed on free care as health care has become big business and top hospital executives in Maine fetch six-figure salaries. Hospitals vary in the types and amounts of free services they provide, as well as how they disseminate charity care information to their patients, advocates said…”

Homelessness and Housing - Texas, Florida

townsend — Tue, 08 May 2012 21:09:07 +0000

Decline in homelessness spurs effort to build long-term housing, By Renée C. Lee, May 6, 2012, Houston Chronicle: “Houston’s homeless population declined by 5 percent this year, creating a positive backdrop for a new collaborative effort aimed at moving more people off the streets and into long-term housing. The number of sheltered and unsheltered homeless dropped from 8,242 counted in January 2011, to 7,830 counted in January 2012, according to the annual tally by the Coalition for the Homeless of Houston/Fort Bend County. In addition, the number of people in permanent housing with additional services, known as permanent supportive housing, increased slightly, suggesting the concept might be a promising approach to reducing homelessness in Houston…”
For homeless kids, school can be a struggle, By Tasnim Shamma, May 8, 2012, Miami Herald: “Students wondering where they’re going to sleep at night may have trouble paying attention in class. In Miami-Dade County, the number of kids without a home is in the thousands and growing. The county school district counted more than 4,406 students who were homeless in the 2010-11 academic year. Eleven-year-old David Thomas and his eight siblings used to be included in those statistics…”

Medicaid Spending - Texas

townsend — Mon, 07 May 2012 21:20:26 +0000

Medicaid spending growing faster than Texas taxes, By Chris Tomlinson (AP), May 7, 2012, Houston Chronicle: “Texas’ share for providing health care to poor children, the impoverished elderly and the disabled is growing faster than tax revenues to pay for services, creating another state budget challenge next year, top agency officials told lawmakers Monday. Texas’ Medicaid director Billy Millwee told lawmakers that his program will likely achieve only 88 percent of the cost savings forecast in the current budget. Experts had warned lawmakers last year that they were underfunding the Medicaid program by $4.8 billion, an amount lawmakers will have to make up when they meet again next year. Agency officials told the House Appropriation Subcommittee that the number of people qualifying for the Medicaid program nearly doubled between 2000 and 2011, and the number of poor children grew more than 10 percent in 2010 alone. The Medicaid population grows an average of 6.3 percent a year…”

Minimum Wage and Payday Loan Ballot Initiatives - Missouri

townsend — Mon, 07 May 2012 21:16:31 +0000

Groups submit petitions on raising Missouri’s minimum wage, limiting payday loans, Associated Pres, May 7, 2012, Springfield News-Leader: “Supporters of raising Missouri’s minimum wage and limiting payday loans submitted petitions Sunday to get the separate measures on the November ballot, beating this weekend’s deadline to turn in signatures. The proposed minimum wage increase would put Missouri’s minimum pay at $8.25 an hour starting in 2013, with an annual cost-of living adjustment in subsequent years. However, if the federal minimum wage were to rise above the state rate, then Missouri would adopt the federal wage and apply cost-of-living adjustments to that…”

Drug Testing and Assistance Programs

townsend — Mon, 07 May 2012 21:14:21 +0000

Legislators continue to propose drug testing for welfare recipients, By Tim Grimes, May 5, 2012, Evansville Courier and Press: “Lawmakers in Indiana and across the nation are studying whether to require drug tests of welfare and food stamp recipients, even though there are questions about the constitutionality of the move. This year, legislators in at least 25 states proposed bills to implement some sort of drug testing system for a variety of welfare programs, most commonly Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, but also Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance program, which used to be called food stamps…”

April 2012 US Unemployment

townsend — Fri, 04 May 2012 21:31:44 +0000

New jobs slow; unemployment drops as work force shrinks, By Catherine Rampell, May 4, 2012, New York Times: “The United States had another month of disappointing job growth in April. The nation’s employers produced a net gain of 115,000 positions, after adding 154,000 in March, the Labor Department said Friday. April’s job growth was less than economists had been predicting. The unemployment rate, which is based on a separate survey of American households, ticked down to 8.1 percent in April, from 8.2 percent. That may sound like good news, but the decline was not because more unemployed workers were hired; it was entirely because 342,000 workers dropped out of the labor force…”
Economy added 115,000 jobs in April; unemployment rate fell to 8.1 percent, By Peter Whoriskey, May 4, 2012, Washington Post: “The unemployment rate dropped a notch to 8.1 percent in April, the Labor Department reported on Friday, but the pace of job growth has fallen off, amid other signs that the economic recovery may be losing momentum. The economy added 115,000 payroll jobs last month, a meager showing compared with earlier this year when the jobs tally was rising at twice that rate and sowing optimism about the nation’s economic prospects. Some of the most quoted figures from the jobs report suggested good news. The unemployment rate dropped to 8.1 percent in April from 8.2 percent the month before, and the number of unemployed people declined to 12.5 million from 12.7 million. But the main reason for the decline in the ranks of unemployed is that many people decided to stop looking for work. People who have given up the job hunt are no longer counted as unemployed…”

Child Care Subsidies - Illinois

townsend — Fri, 04 May 2012 21:27:37 +0000

State budget crisis threatens funding for day-care providers, families, By Dean Olsen, May 2, 2012, Galesburg Register-Mail: “A new wrinkle in Illinois’ budget crisis unfolded Wednesday when Gov. Pat Quinn’s administration said it has begun to delay payments to more than 40,000 child-care providers. The move could threaten the fragile budgets of many providers and the family finances of more than 85,000 low-income parents who receive state-subsidized child-care services. The delays could mean no more subsidy payments to many child-care providers until July 1, said Januari Smith, spokeswoman for the Illinois Department of Human Services…”
Illinois child care subsidies at risk; legislators search for funding, By Melissa Westphal, May 3, 2012, Rockford Register Star: “Child care services for low-income families could be in jeopardy unless Illinois legislators can scramble to find additional funds needed for a state-subsidized program. Day care providers were hit with the bad news this week when state leaders told them Illinois has essentially run out of money to pay for the Child Care Assistance Program, which helps low-income, working families find and pay for child care so parents can maintain their employment. Families share in the cost of the services on a sliding scale based on family size, income and number of children in care…”

Medicaid Programs - Oregon, Wisconsin, New York

townsend — Thu, 03 May 2012 21:49:15 +0000

Feds to put up $1.9B for Oregon health overhaul, By Jonathan J. Cooper (AP), Miami Herald: “The Obama administration is buying into an ambitious health care initiative in Oregon, announcing Thursday it has tentatively agreed to chip in $1.9 billion over five years to help get the program off the ground. Oregon hopes to prove that states can save billions on Medicaid without sacrificing the quality of health care. Gov. John Kitzhaber’s plan would invest in preventive care to keep patients healthy so they don’t need expensive hospitalizations. ‘If this works, I think other states are going to be looking at this as a way to manage that patient population,’ said Kitzhaber, a Democrat and former emergency room physician who has worked for decades on reforming the health care system. The federal government could save $1.5 trillion over the next 10 years if all 50 states adopted Oregon’s approach, the governor has said…”
State sending letters on Medicaid changes, By Jason Stein, May 2, 2012, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: “The state is sending out letters to 111,000 low-income Wisconsinites warning them that they could see changes to their state health coverage, including premium increases. The letters are being sent after federal officials announced Friday their approval of plans by Gov. Scott Walker’s administration to cut costs in those Medicaid programs. Officials estimate that the plans will lead to more than 17,000 people leaving or being turned away from the state’s BadgerCare Plus health programs for the needy. State Health Services Secretary Dennis Smith said Wednesday that the state will send two notices to those affected - this first letter will give general information about what the changes could be, and another in mid-June will give more specific information such as the exact premium increases for recipients affected by those. Smith spoke Wednesday at a luncheon organized by the Wisconsin Health News service…”
Medicaid comes home, right here in Buffalo, By Henry L. Davis, April 30, 2012, Buffalo News: “He may not look the part, but Gerald Easley, a 59-year-old diabetic in Buffalo, lives on the cutting edge of health care reform. Medicaid costs are consuming budgets in New York and other states, forcing a search for solutions that don’t undermine services. One of them, the Health Home, is rolling out now in Buffalo, and patients such as Easley are the target candidates. It’s a long-talked-about concept for dealing with the most expensive and most difficult to treat individuals: Assign a single organization to coordinate all care, including follow-up after medical visits and referrals to social services that Medicaid and other forms of insurance generally don’t pay for, such as phone calls to address problems ahead of time and referrals to housing…”

People Living in Poverty - Northern Ireland

townsend — Thu, 03 May 2012 21:41:24 +0000

Rise in level of poverty among working households in NI, May 2, 2012, BBC News: “A report from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation has examined the impact of the economic downturn on households in Northern Ireland since 2009. It said half of the 120,000 children living in poverty are in a household with at least one working parent. It also found that that over a fifth of NI pensioners are living in poverty. The report, Monitoring Poverty and Social Exclusion in Northern Ireland, was published on Wednesday…”

Food Insecurity and Nutrition

townsend — Thu, 03 May 2012 21:37:02 +0000

A food stamp paradox: Starving isn’t the issue - it’s access to nutritious foods, By Eric Schulzke, April 28 2012, Deseret News: “When Jill Warner’s husband lost his job as a product manager in 2009 and entered a bout of hard-core unemployment, they and their four children eventually turned to food stamps. For the first four months, they had zero family income and received $900 a month in food stamps. ‘We ate what we wanted,’ Warner recalls. ‘And we had plenty of flexibility.’ She would leave Costco loaded with snap peas, Brussels sprouts, broccoli and fresh meat, and after a busy day she would stop at Papa Murphy’s on the way home. Because Murphy’s is ‘take and bake,’ rather than served hot, she could use food stamps. ‘Food access was great,’ she said, ‘but mortgage, utilities and car payments were another matter.’ After a few months, her husband found entry level work that barely paid the bills, and their food benefit dropped to $500. ‘That was very tight,’ Warner said. ‘We had to compromise and buy more basic foods, and it was a close call.’ Firmly entrenched in middle class habits and attitudes, Warner is not quite the face of American hunger…”

Joblessness and Unemployment - Europe

townsend — Wed, 02 May 2012 21:33:27 +0000

Unemployment reaches record high in euro zone, By Jack Ewing, May 2, 2012, New York Times: “Unemployment in the euro zone rose to a new high in March, according to figures released on Wednesday, which came a few days before crucial elections in France and Greece, and which are likely to intensify calls for an easing of the region’s austerity drive. Unemployment in the 17 countries that belong to the euro zone rose to 10.9 percent in March from 10.8 percent in February, according to Eurostat, the European Union’s statistics agency. In March 2011, the rate was 9.9 percent, a number that illustrates the deterioration of the area’s economy during the past year. The monthly increase, the 11th in a row, translates into more than 17 million jobless people, and is in line with other recent indicators showing that the euro zone economy remains distressed. Manufacturing in the zone hit a 34-month low in April, according to a survey of purchasing managers released Wednesday by the research firm Markit…”
Eurozone unemployment hits record high of 10.9 percent as recession, austerity bite, Associated Press, May 2, 2012, Washington Post: “The 17 countries that use the euro are facing the highest unemployment rates in the history of the currency as recession once again spreads across Europe, pressuring leaders to focus less on austerity and more on stimulating growth. Unemployment in the eurozone rose by 169,000 in March, official figures showed Wednesday, taking the rate up to 10.9 percent - its highest level since the euro was launched in 1999. The seasonally adjusted rate was up from 10.8 percent in February and 9.9 percent a year ago and contrasts sharply with the picture in the U.S., where unemployment has fallen from 9.1 percent in August to 8.2 percent in March. Spain had the highest rate in the eurozone, 24.1 percent - and an alarming 51.1 percent for people under 25…”
Unemployment benefits vary across the 17-country eurozone, Associated Press, May 2, 2012, Washington Post: “Unemployment benefits across the 17-country eurozone, where joblessness has hit a new record of 10.9 percent, vary considerably. In some countries, welfare payments have been cut recently as part of austerity measures introduced to bring government spending under control. In Spain, where almost a quarter of the adult population is without work, an unemployed person gets 70 percent of his or her monthly wage for as much as two years. That is on the high end for Europe, and highlights the continent’s focus on social safety nets. Monthly wages, however, are relatively low at an average of just over €1,000 ($1,300) a month. Also, the Spanish government has held off cutting jobless benefits in this year’s austerity budget to avoid hurting economic growth and to not heap more misery on the country’s 5.6 million unemployed, many of which own homes whose value has plummeted…”

Drug Testing and Assistance Programs - Tennessee

townsend — Wed, 02 May 2012 21:28:04 +0000

Tennessee lawmakers approve welfare drug testing on last day, By Chas Sisk, May 1, 2012, The Tennessean: “State lawmakers approved a bill to test welfare recipients for drugs and revamped the state’s top utility regulator, but they dropped plans to rewrite the state’s campaign finance laws on the final day of the legislative session. Members of the state House of Representatives voted 73-17 Tuesday for Senate Bill 2580, which calls for testing welfare recipients who fail a psychiatric screening meant to find indicators of drug use. Proponents said the bill will keep Temporary Assistance for Needy Families funds from going to drug users and help them get treatment. Opponents said it punishes the poor. ‘What we’re going to do is profile poor people,’ said state Rep. Joe Towns, D-Memphis. The measure, which cleared the Senate last month and now goes to Gov. Bill Haslam for his signature, was one of several issues resolved as lawmakers finished work for 2012. Both chambers adjourned until after the November election. With the welfare bill, Tennessee would be set to join a growing list of states that have adopted drug testing for recipients…”

Homelessness - Utah

townsend — Wed, 02 May 2012 21:22:22 +0000

Utah temporary homeless numbers reach all-time high, By Brooke Adams, April 30, 2012, Salt Lake Tribune: “A statewide effort to get chronically homeless people off the streets and into supported housing continues to make progress, but officials on Mondayannounced the number of Utahns who experienced periodic homelessness reached an all-time high this winter. Volunteers and outreach workers counted 3,052 people in shelters and another 475 on the streets in the statewide Point In Time annual survey that began Jan. 26 and extended over five days to ensure as complete a tally as possible. On an annualized basis, state officials project that 16,642 people experienced an episode of homelessness between January 2011 and January 2012, an increase of 13 percent. Gordon Walker, director of the Division of Housing and Community Development, said Monday during a press conference that the increase was directly related to the weak economy and the end of a federal stimulus housing fund aimed at getting people out of shelters and into their own homes as quickly as possible…”
Goal of ending chronic homelessness by 2015 ‘achievable,’ advocates say, By Marjorie Cortez, April 30 2012, Deseret News: “Mike Shannon has designs on one of the first meals he will cook in his new apartment at Sunrise Metro Apartments. ‘I want a Velveeta grilled cheese sandwich and a can of tomato soup,’ Shannon said. Shannon, a Vietnam War veteran who has been living in The Road Home homeless shelter for nine months, will have a place to call his own Tuesday in a 100-unit facility that provides housing and intensive case management for people who are chronically homeless. A place of his own - a restroom he doesn’t have to share with others - represents ‘freedom’ and ‘a life’ for the 61-year-old man…”

SNAP Eligibility - Pennsylvania

townsend — Tue, 01 May 2012 21:55:15 +0000

Pennsylvania food stamp program will trap people in poverty, critics say, By Jan Murphy, April 29, 2012, Patriot-News: “Gov. Tom Corbett’s administration says it wants to restrict food stamps to those who truly need help. Critics say the administration’s changes to the food stamp program will trap people in poverty. Undeniably, there are significant changes coming to Pennsylvania’s food stamp program. Beginning Tuesday, new rules will place limits on the amount of assets families can maintain if they want to qualify for food stamps. Households with people under age 60 are limited to $5,500 in cash or certain other assets. Those who are disabled, or 60 and older, are capped at $9,000. A home, first car or money saved for a child’s education or burial are not counted as part of a household’s assets. But a second vehicle worth more than $4,650 and other personal property could be included. Representatives of Corbett’s administration said the changes are designed to eliminate waste, fraud and abuse…”
Food stamp asset test will begin on Tuesday, By Mark Scolforo (AP), April 28, 2012, Philadelphia Inquirer: “The Pennsylvania Public Welfare Department will start asking food-stamp recipients next week to prove they do not have significant personal assets in order to qualify for benefits. Advocates for the poor say the new policy will be expensive to administer and hurt families for whom the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program can be a lifeline. It goes into effect Tuesday, but it will be about six months before the department knows how many have lost benefits…”

Electronic Benefit Transactions - Oregon

townsend — Tue, 01 May 2012 21:44:43 +0000

Some Oregonians receiving government assistance are cashing out at casinos, bars and strip clubs, By Michelle Cole, April 29, 2012, The Oregonian: “Oregonians who received assistance from the state to help pay rent, put gas in the car and feed their children withdrew some of that cash last year in casinos, liquor stores and strip clubs. State government disperses about $16 million a month to low-income families through its ‘Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Program.’ Only the poorest qualify for the money, which is dispersed through electronic ‘Oregon Trail’ cards that work like debit cards. More than 600,000 transaction records covering July 2011 through December and released by the state Department of Human Services show that most people used those cards at supermarkets, discount stores and gas stations. But an analysis by The Oregonian also finds that the cards were used to withdraw cash or make purchases at casinos, bars, liquor stores and other venues that don’t appear to meet the government’s goal of helping struggling families…”

Health Care Spending in the US

townsend — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 21:45:41 +0000

In hopeful sign, health spending is flattening out, By Annie Lowrey, April 28, 2012, New York Times: “The growth of health spending has slowed substantially in the last few years, surprising experts and offering some fuel for optimism about the federal government’s long-term fiscal performance. Much of the slowdown is because of the recession, and thus not unexpected, health experts say. But some of it seems to be attributable to changing behavior by consumers and providers of health care - meaning that the lower rates of growth might persist even as the economy picks up. Because Medicare and Medicaid are two of the largest contributors to the country’s long-term debts, slower growth in health costs could reduce the pressure for enormous spending cuts or tax increases. In 2009 and 2010, total nationwide health care spending grew less than 4 percent per year, the slowest annual pace in more than five decades, according to the latest numbers from the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services. After years of taking up a growing share of economic activity, health spending held steady in 2010, at 17.9 percent of the gross domestic product…”

Women, Infants, and Children Program

townsend — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 21:42:32 +0000

Why are fewer moms applying for safety net program?, By Pamela M. Prah, April 30, 2012, Stateline: “More Americans are collecting food stamps than ever before, but fewer needy mothers are using another federal government program that offers free baby formula and food for young children. There isn’t one answer to explain the recent decline in the number of women and young children in the program, commonly known as WIC, which the government officially calls the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children. It makes sense that more Americans are getting food stamps since that program, known formally as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, is open to people of all ages who need help recovering from the recession. WIC specifically serves pregnant, breastfeeding, and postpartum women, infants and children up to age 5, a much narrower demographic. Still, it’s puzzling that WIC would be shrinking in these hard times, rather than getting bigger…”
Missoula health department says state’s WIC use lowest in U.S., By Keila Szpaller, April 28, 2012, The Missoulian: “The state of Montana has the lowest rate in the country - 30 percent - of serving children who qualify for federal help getting good nutrition, according to the Missoula City-County Health Department. ‘We suspect from our focus groups and from our experience with the program that the state has rules that are not federally required, and some of those rules are very difficult for the client at the checkstand, if not humiliating,’ said Ellen Leahy, director of the local health department. Leahy last week shared the news about the federal WIC program - Women, Infants and Children - with a committee of the Missoula City Council, and she said the local agency is ‘advocating and agitating’ to change burdensome state requirements…”
Muskegon County WIC food assistance enrollment, use down, By Megan Hart, April 16, 2012, Muskegon Chronicle: “Fewer Muskegon County families are using nutritional assistance for women and young children, officials say - a trend they hope to reverse. Public Health Muskegon County maternal child services supervisor Gwen Williams said about 7,620 Muskegon County people were enrolled in the Special Supplement Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (better known as WIC) as of February. That’s down from a high of 7,821 people in 2011, she said, and many more families are eligible…”

Charlotte Observer Series on Nonprofit Hospitals

townsend — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 21:41:44 +0000

Prognosis: Profits, Series homepage (Five-part series), Charlotte Observer:

Nonprofit hospitals thrive on profits, By Ames Alexander, Karen Garloch and Joseph Neff, April 21, 2012, Charlotte Observer: “Nonprofit hospitals in the Charlotte region are respected community institutions. They save lives, heal the sick and provide good jobs. At the same time, most of them are stockpiling a fortune. Their profits have risen along with their prices. Top executives are paid millions as their hospitals expand, buy expensive technology and build aggressively. And they benefit each year from a perk worth millions: They pay no income, property or sales taxes. These institutions were created with charitable missions. But many don’t act like nonprofits anymore. In their quest for growth and financial strength, they have contributed to the rising cost of health care, leaving thousands of patients with bills they struggle to pay…”
Most N.C. hospitals are slim on charity care, By Ames Alexander, Joseph Neff and Karen Garloch, April 22, 2012, Charlotte Observer: “Rachael Shehan has no health insurance and virtually no income. But when serious respiratory problems strike, her hospital has never provided financial help, she said. Instead, the 39-year-old Lenoir resident says, Caldwell Memorial Hospital has sent bill collectors who have hounded her for payment and ruined her credit. Now, she sometimes bursts into tears when medical problems arise. ‘I know the hospital isn’t going to help me with my bills,’says Shehan, who relies on food stamps and the help of friends. Nonprofit hospitals such as Caldwell Memorial are exempt from property, sales and income taxes. In return, they are expected to give back to their communities, largely by providing care to those who can’t afford it. Like Caldwell, most North Carolina hospitals are devoting a fraction of their expenses to help the poor and uninsured, an investigation by the Charlotte Observer and The News & Observer of Raleigh found. In 2010, most of the state’s hospitals spent less than 3 percent of their budgets on charity care - the practice of forgiving all or part of a patient’s bill…”

Medicaid Expansion - Colorado

townsend — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 21:31:03 +0000

Colorado extends Medicaid to some adults without kids, By Eric Whitney, April 26, 2012, Minnesota Public Radio: “Dale Miller spends his days on the streets of downtown Denver selling a newspaper called The Homeless Voice. He’s been having some health problems, but he can’t afford to see a doctor on the $10 to $15 a day he makes selling papers. A local charity clinic called the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless recently helped him get a CT scan at no cost to him. Miller fully understands, though, that someone has to pay for his care. ‘The state’s paying for that, ya dig? I mean, it’s not free,’ says Miller. ‘I’ve got my itemized bill in my backpack for my last Thursday’s visit, and it was like $450 for the doctor, $1,100 for the lab work, and the state’s paying for that.’ The state’s actually only paying for a small part of those bills. Colorado has an indigent care program that helps charity clinics and hospitals cover bills like Miller’s. But it only pays about 10 cents on the dollar. That’s starting to change as Colorado is adding people to its rolls for Medicaid, the state and federal health program for the poor and disabled…”

Wisconsin Poverty Report

townsend — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 21:28:17 +0000

UW report says safety net kept state families from poverty, By Todd Finkelmeyer, April 27, 2012, Capital Times: “Wisconsin is doing a good job of providing a safety net for the state’s most vulnerable people, according to the fourth annual Wisconsin Poverty Report released this week. The study, conducted by UW-Madison’s Institute for Research on Poverty, is designed to measure poverty rates more accurately than the official federal numbers that are compiled using only pretax cash income figures. In addition to these cash resources, the institute’s Wisconsin Poverty Measure also takes into account the effects of government safety net initiatives such as tax credits (including the state and federal earned income tax credit), food stamps, BadgerCare and subsidized child care. In 2010, the most recent year for which figures are available, Wisconsin’s official overall poverty rate as measured at the federal level was at 13 percent, while the Institute for Research on Poverty (IRP) pinned that figure at 10.3 percent. And the gap is even wider when looking at children — with official numbers indicating an 18.6 percent child poverty rate in the state compared to a Wisconsin Poverty Measure of 10.8 percent…”

Unemployment Rate - Spain

townsend — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 21:26:03 +0000

Spain’s economic crisis deepens as unemployment hits 24.4%, By Pan Pylas (AP), April 27, 2012, USA Today: “The hole in Spain’s economy is getting deeper. The government reported Friday that unemployment rose to 24.4% in the first quarter - compared with 22.9% in the fourth quarter - and that more than half of Spaniards under 25 are now without jobs. The bleak employment came one day after ratings agency Standard & Poor’s downgraded the country’s debt. The Spanish economy is in recession for the second time in three years as the damage from a housing bust persists. Foreclosures are rising, Spain’s banks are in worse financial shape and the government’s deficit is hitting worrisome levels. The first-quarter employment data showed that 365,900 people lost their jobs, bringing the number of unemployed Spaniards to 5.6 million. The unemployment rate for people under 25 climbed to 52%, up from 48.5% in the previous quarter…”

Poverty Measurement in the US

townsend — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 22:13:25 +0000

Poverty in America: Defining the new poor, April 22, 2012, National Public Radio: “Welfare changes in the 1990s helped slash cash benefit rolls, yet the use of food stamps is soaring today. About 15 percent of Americans use food stamps. The program has become what some call the new welfare. A big reason why is a deal struck between President Clinton and the Republican-controlled Congress in 1996. At that time, the number of Americans who received cash payments - what’s often thought of as welfare - was at an all-time high. The Clinton overhaul made it much harder to qualify for those payments, and today the welfare rolls are down 70 percent, but that’s only if you define welfare in one way. ‘We decided cash assistance is welfare and that’s bad, but we decided food aid is nutritional assistance and that’s good,’ says New York Times reporter Jason DeParle. ‘We made [the food stamp] program much easier to get on.’ DeParle, who covers poverty for the Times, tells weekends on All Things Considered host Guy Raz that 18 million Americans have had to apply for food aid since the economic crisis began…”

Infant Mortality Rates - Milwaukee, WI

townsend — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 22:10:54 +0000

Disparity in infant mortality rates in Milwaukee widens, By Crocker Stephenson and Karen Herzog, April 24, 2012, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: “Milwaukee’s infant mortality rate dropped to a historic low in 2011. But the rate at which black babies died during their first year of life ticked upward, to nearly three times the rate of white babies. ‘We’re pleased with the overall numbers,’ Mayor Tom Barrett said Tuesday. ‘But we have to put more emphasis on the African-American rate.’ In November, Barrett and Commissioner of Health Bevan Baker set a goal to reduce Milwaukee’s black infant mortality rate by 15% and the city’s overall rate by 10% by 2017. ‘We are on track to meet those goals,’ said Geoff Swain, associate professor at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health and chief medical officer for the Milwaukee Health Department…”

Low-Income Earners and Banking

townsend — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 22:07:59 +0000

Chasing fees, banks court low-income customers, By Jessica Silver-Greenberg and Ben Protess, April 25, 2012, New York Times: “When David Wegner went looking for a checking account in January, he was peppered with offers for low-end financial products, including a prepaid debit card with numerous fees, a short-term emergency loan with steep charges, money wire services and check-cashing options. ‘I may as well have gone to a payday lender,’ said Mr. Wegner, a 36-year-old nursing assistant in Minneapolis, who ended up choosing a local branch of U.S. Bank and avoided the payday lenders, pawnshops and check cashers lining his neighborhood. Along with a checking account, he selected a $1,000 short-term loan to help pay for his cystic fibrosis medications. The loan cost him $100 in fees, and that will escalate if it goes unpaid. An increasing number of the nation’s large banks - U.S. Bank, Regions Financial and Wells Fargo among them - are aggressively courting low-income customers like Mr. Wegner with alternative products that can carry high fees…”

Wisconsin Poverty Report

townsend — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 22:00:42 +0000

State poverty drops in recession, study finds, By Meg Jones, April 25, 2012, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: “Poverty in Wisconsin actually dropped during the recession and its aftermath, surprising University of Wisconsin researchers who credit safety net programs such as food stamps and tax credits. From 2009 to 2010, state poverty dropped from 11.1% to 10.3%, according to a study by the Wisconsin Poverty Project that will be released Wednesday. The statistics compiled by the Institute for Research on Poverty differ from U.S. census figures, which show poverty increased in Wisconsin during that time. However, the official poverty measure only considers pretax cash income, and Wisconsin Poverty Project researchers included other means used by federal and local governments to stimulate the economy…”

College Financial Aid

townsend — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 21:57:26 +0000

Student loans: Will Congress’s remedy favor middle class over poor?, By Mark Trumbull, April 25, 2012, Christian Science Monitor: “The surging student loan burden has the attention of President Obama and Congress. A jaw-dropping fact has become widely publicized: that student debt for the first time totals more than $1 trillion, well over the amount Americans owe on credit cards. But even as politicians consider fixes - especially how to avert an interest-rate hike affecting students come July 1 - the grant-style aid that’s most important to lower-income students is already experiencing a budget squeeze…”

Job Losses and Unemployment - Wisconsin

townsend — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 21:53:30 +0000

State posts largest percentage job loss in U.S. over past year, By Craig Gilbert, April 24, 2012, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: “Wisconsin is the only state in the nation that had “statistically significant” job losses over the past 12 months, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The state lost 23,900 jobs from March 2011 to March 2012. The majority - 17,800 - were government jobs. But Wisconsin also lost more private-sector jobs - 6,100 - than any other state over those same 12 months, the government data shows…”
Wisconsin job losses highest in nation for last 12 months, federal report says, By Karen Rivedal, April 25, 2012, Wisconsin State Journal: “Wisconsin saw the largest percentage decrease in employment in the nation during the 12 months ending in March, a new report by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said. During that time period, while 27 states and the District of Columbia saw significant job increases, only Wisconsin saw ’statistically significant’ job losses, the report said. From March 2011 to March 2012, the state lost 23,900 jobs, for the country’s largest percentage decrease, at 0.9 percent. Of the 23,900 jobs lost in Wisconsin in that period, 17,900 were from the public sector and 6,000 were from the private sector, according to the BLS…”

Child Welfare and Foster Care - Oregon, Washington DC

townsend — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 22:47:43 +0000

New child welfare audit says Oregon can do more to reunite parents and kids in foster care, By Michelle Cole, April 24, 2012, The Oregonian: “While Oregon child welfare caseworkers do better than the national average in seeing that children taken into state foster care are returned to their parents, a new audit also finds caseworkers often do not include parents in critical discussions concerning their families and have little time to ensure meaningful visits between parents and kids. Overall, the 28-page report portrays a system under stress. Overworked child welfare staff do not get much help from the central office in prioritizing their work. Parents were unable to get addiction treatment, mental health care or other services they needed before they could bring their kids back home…”
If fewer kids are in D.C. foster care, why isn’t agency’s budget decreasing?, By Justin Moyer, April 24, 2012, Washington Post: “The number of children in the District’s child welfare system is continuing to drop, prompting officials to take a fresh look at how the city spends its $265 million child welfare budget. Across the region and across the country, social service agencies are seeing such declines, though the implications are especially significant for the District, which has a long history of child welfare crises. No single factor explains the drop in the District, but experts believe that the city’s changing demographics and renewed emphasis on keeping troubled families together are driving the trend. According to the D.C. Child and Family Services Agency (CFSA), the number of children it supervises has fallen to 3,400 from 4,654 in early 2009, a change of almost 30 percent…”

Columbia Daily Tribune Series on Poverty

townsend — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 22:43:25 +0000

The Price of Poverty: An occasional series on poverty in Boone County, Series homepage, Columbia Daily Tribune:

Lunch program gives some a hand up, By Catherine Martin, April 23, 2012, Columbia Daily Tribune: “When Dewanna Miller got sick after having surgery in 2009, things got rough for her and her three children. She was in the hospital for three months and was unable to work until January of this year, when she returned to work at Macy’s. There were a lot of challenges and frustration, she said, and without support from her family and the public school system, Miller said she doesn’t know whether she could have pulled through…”
Spending grows, shifts in fight on poverty, with mixed results, By Jodie Jackson Jr., Columbia Daily Tribune: “As spending increases for programs aimed at battling poverty in Boone County, reaching an estimated $300 million in 2010, the number of residents in poverty also continues to climb. The struggle to stem that tide has social service leaders looking to tackle the problem at its roots, with a focus on kids and education. ‘We have thrown billions of dollars to poverty, and we’re in worse shape than ever,’ said Peggy Kirkpatrick, executive director of the Food Bank for Central & Northeast Missouri. ‘Our Band-Aid has gotten about as big as it can get.’ Boone County’s population grew by 20 percent from 2000 to 2010, while the number of children age 18 and under in poverty increased by 49 percent during that time. The county’s overall poverty rate is 18.4 percent. The current local push-back against poverty is largely a response to the cost of providing services, a total that reached an estimated $300 million in 2010 for Boone County, including social service and government programs…”

Medicaid and Dental Care

townsend — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 22:03:59 +0000

Medicaid coverage is no guarantee of care, By Sarah Okeson, April 21, 2012, Springfield News-Leader: “Adults on Medicaid in Missouri have to be blind, pregnant or in a nursing home to qualify for dental care. It’s better for children. The federal government requires dental coverage for children on Medicaid in Missouri and other states. But that insurance doesn’t mean they actually get the services. Slightly more than 30 percent of children ages 1 to 18 enrolled in Medicaid in Missouri received dental services in 2009, the fourth worst rate among the 50 states, according to the Pew Center on the States in Washington, D.C. Only Florida, Montana and Wisconsin had dentists who treated a smaller share of their states’ poor children…”

Low-Income Students and Special Education Placement - Massachusetts

townsend — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 21:59:41 +0000

Special education policies in Mass. reviewed, By James Vaznis, April 23, 2012, Boston Globe: “Low-income school districts are most likely to place students in special education programs for mild and sometimes questionable disabilities, a practice that has swelled the state’s special education population to one of the highest rates in the nation, according to a first-of-a-kind study commissioned by the state. The study - to be presented at a state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education meeting Monday night - is expected to provoke debate over whether low-income districts are placing students in special education because of legitimate disabilities or because of weak academic programs that cause students to fall behind, or because some teachers want unruly students out of their classrooms. That low-income districts are more likely to identify special education students debunks a long-held belief in Massachusetts that it is the savvy, well-heeled parents in wealthier districts who have been pushing up special education rates as they demand advantages for their children, such as extra academic support and waivers from time limits on standardized tests…”

Affordable Housing - Colorado, Texas

townsend — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 21:56:10 +0000

Report: Low-income Coloradans priced out of rentals, By Howard Pankratz, April 23, 2012, Denver Post: “People with the lowest incomes in Colorado are being priced out of rental properties, a report issued Monday by the Colorado Division of Housing said. ‘Rental housing in general since 2009 has become more scarce for many households as vacancies fall and rents rise,’ said Ryan McMaken, a spokesman for the Colorado Division of Housing. ‘But when one is at the lowest income levels, the impact of the growing demand for rentals can be especially severe as once-affordable units are priced out of range.’ The report said that among households with the lowest incomes, there are twice as many households as there are affordable rentals units in Colorado…”
Affordable housing fenced into poor areas, By Karisa King and Ryan Murphy, April 23, 2012, San Antonio Express-News: “Plans to build an affordable apartment complex for seniors in one of San Antonio’s most fashionable neighborhoods had been posted for barely a week in January when the fury hit. Residents feared the 68 apartments, which were competing for funding with federal tax credits, would spoil the affluent Stone Oak neighborhood. In a storm of emails, calls and letters to local and state officials, they predicted bitter results: damaged property values, more traffic and an increase in crime. ‘It just didn’t fit with us,’ said Francisco Martinez, president of the Mount Arrowhead Homeowners Association, one of about a dozen groups that opposed the apartments. ‘These are single-family homes. Anything that takes away from that takes away from why we bought into it.’ By March, the neighbors had prevailed. The project and any chance of public funding this year were dead. In Texas, where tax-credit proposals often need community support to survive, the project’s demise illustrates how the largest national program to create affordable housing pushes low-income developments away from desirable neighborhoods…”

High School Graduation Rates - Michigan

townsend — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 21:23:40 +0000

4 of every 10 minorities or low-income Kalamazoo-area students do not graduate on time, report shows, By Julie Mack, April 20, 2012, Kalamazoo Gazette: “Nearly half of African-Americans and four of every 10 Kalamazoo-area students who are Hispanic and/or come from a low-income household do not graduate high school on time, according to the latest graduation/dropout report from the Michigan Department of Education. The statistic also is true for students diagnosed with a disability. Even six years after starting high school, a third of students in those groups still lack a high school diploma, the data shows. Numbers for the 35 school districts in the Kalamazoo area closely track statewide trends and have remained fairly consistent in recent years…”
Graduation data for Kalamazoo Public Schools reflects high dropout rate among African-American males, By Julie Mack, April 20, 2012, Kalamazoo Gazette: “Kalamazoo Public Schools counted 182 African-American males who started high school in the fall of 2007. Only 80 — or 44 percent — graduated on time last June, according to the state’s latest graduation report. Of the KPS African-American young men who failed to graduate, 39, or 23 percent, were recorded as dropouts and the remaining students were still in school but lacked enough credits to graduate. Among Kalamazoo’s African-American females in the Class of 2011, 68 percent graduated on time — the same graduation rate as KPS white males…”
Local graduation rate dips, By Justin A. Hinkley, April 15, 2012, Battle Creek Enquirer: “Michigan’s tougher new graduation requirements shaved 3 percentage points off of the local graduation rate. Locally, 77 percent of students graduated on time last spring, down from 80 percent in 2010, according to recently released data from the Michigan Department of Education’s Center for Educational Performance & Information. The local rate is the combined total of all 23 area school districts with graduating seniors. Of those 23 districts, eight districts showed improvements in their graduation rates while the rest posted declines. The Class of 2011 was the first in the state to go through all four years of the Michigan Merit Curriculum graduation requirements, which have been called some of the toughest in the country…”

Medical Home Network - Chicago, IL

townsend — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 21:18:49 +0000

Coordinated care program aims to save Medicaid millions, By By Peter Frost, April 20, 2012, Chicago Tribune: “On Easter, Keontae Barnes doubled over in pain, her back and stomach tightening so much she thought she was in labor. Nearly eight months pregnant with her second child, a girl, Barnes headed straight to the emergency department at Holy Cross Hospital in the Chicago Lawn neighborhood, just a few blocks from her home. After a quick - and costly - examination, doctors determined it was a false alarm; her pains were normal for women in the later stages of pregnancy. The next day, her primary care doctor at Chicago Family Health Center called, asking Barnes what happened and making sure she was OK. ‘I was shocked. I said, ‘How did you know?” Barnes said. ‘She told me to come in the next day, and she gave me her emergency pager and her email. She said if I ever have any questions or concerns, I can always get in touch, any time of day.’ About a week later, Barnes did just that. Instead of rushing to the ER with intense chest pains, she called her doctor. Acid reflux. A trip to Walgreens solved the problem in short order and saved the state’s Medicaid program and Holy Cross thousands of dollars…”

Voter Registration at Public Assistance Agencies - Georgia

townsend — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 21:15:13 +0000

Georgia settles voter registration suit, By Bill Rankin, April 19, 2012, Atlanta Journal-Constitution: “The state of Georgia has settled a lawsuit by agreeing to provide the opportunity to register to vote every time people apply for public assistance benefits, a coalition of civil rights groups said Thursday. Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp, who signed off on the agreement, condemned the litigation. He said the settlement will cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars to comply with ‘outdated and unneeded federal voter registration mandates and in attorneys fees paid to venue-shopping interest groups.’ The lawsuit alleged the state had been ignoring its obligations under the National Voter Registration Act…”

Budget Cuts to Programs for the Poor - Florida, Maine

townsend — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 21:11:50 +0000

Gov. Rick Scott veto hurts legal assistance program for poor, By Michael Peltier, April 18, 2012, Miami Herald: ” A $2 million veto by Gov. Rick Scott will mean fewer attorneys to represent low-income residents through foreclosure proceedings, domestic violence hearings and consumer fraud cases, legal aid officials and a top Democrat lamented Wednesday. A day after the governor vetoed $142 million from the budget, officials at an organization that provides legal help for low income Floridians said Scott’s decision will mean a 25 percent reduction in the number of attorneys available for legal assistance in the coming year. A year later, the number of available attorneys will drop even further…”
LePage line-item veto throws Maine cities a curve, By Scott Thistle, April 19, 2012, Lewiston-Auburn Sun Journal: “Managers in Maine’s biggest cities were sharpening their budget pencils and re-crunching numbers Thursday in the wake of a Gov. Paul LePage line-item vetoes to the state budget. The veto that’s giving city officials consternation cuts the amount the Legislature set aside in the state budget to partially reimburse cities for costs through General Assistance welfare programs by about $5 million. Republican legislative leaders have said they will resolve the matter when the Legislature reconvenes in mid-May to take up a supplemental budget for the state’s Department of Health and Human Services. But for cities trying to get approval of their budgets in time for the new fiscal year that starts July 1, the LePage veto throws the process into a tailspin…”