Hundreds of thousands are losing Medicaid benefits – even though they still qualify
David Elliot,
June 9, 2023
A recent analysis has found that more than 600,000 Americans have lost Medicaid coverage since April 1 as states resume requiring proof of continued eligibility in order to remain on the Medicaid rolls. This massive effort to determine the eligibility of millions of Medicaid beneficiaries has been triggered by the end of the pandemic public health emergency; it’s known as the “Medicaid unwinding.”
American Family Act would bring back expanded Child Tax Credit, make other improvements
David Elliot,
June 8, 2023
More than 200 House members this week signed on to legislation that would once again expand the Child Tax Credit, a move that would comprehensively reduce child poverty in the U.S. The American Family Act (AFA) was introduced Wednesday by Reps. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), Suzan DelBene (D-WA), and Ritchie Torres (D-NY). The legislation comes as House Republicans are preparing to bring forth legislation to extend some Trump tax cuts passed in 2017, including cuts favored by large corporations.
CHN’s Human Needs Watch: Tracking Hardship, June 2, 2023
CHN Staff,
June 2, 2023
The We, the Hostages edition. Congress has passed the Fiscal Responsibility Act and it will soon be headed for President Biden’s signature. Passage will allow our nation to meet its obligations and avoid financial ruin. But the toll exacted by House Republicans during negotiations with the Biden Administration will be paid for years – and will harm the vulnerable and those with low incomes the most.
We, the Hostages: Disappointments in The Fiscal Responsibility Act — Statement on Behalf of the Coalition on Human Needs
Deborah Weinstein,
May 30, 2023
We the hostages appreciate the Biden Administration’s efforts to reduce the severity of these cuts and restrictions. But it is still a great disappointment that the basic thrust of this agreement is still to deny assistance to some of our poorest people. It will reduce investments that we badly need to overcome the worsening affordable housing crisis for low-income renters, to help students overcome the learning deficits that worsened during the pandemic, and to address mental health and substance use crises. It allows increases in the Pentagon without examining the evidence of military contractor price-gouging. It not only fails to secure new revenues from wealthy individuals and corporations, it undermines the IRS’ capacity to collect taxes already owed from those with high incomes.
‘We know this default on America’s families is an assault on America’s families’
David Elliot,
May 26, 2023
When Breanna Dietrich was pregnant with her youngest daughter, she was working as a manager at a pizza joint. Her pregnancy was considered high risk; she battled a number of health issues, including a heart murmur. “About six months into my pregnancy, I had a medical emergency and needed to go to the hospital,” said Dietrich, a mother of four who lives in Wheeling, West Virginia. “But my managers said I couldn’t go, because they needed me behind the counter. I knew in that moment I was choosing between my job and my baby’s health. I dropped my keys and walked out the door. They said I had quit. I didn’t qualify for unemployment.”
