CHN’s COVID-19 Watch: Tracking Hardship, August 5, 2022
CHN Staff,
August 5, 2022
The reconciliation edition. The Senate is finally poised to enact legislation to address some urgent problems. The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 is estimated to reduce disastrous carbon emissions by 40 percent by 2030, and its support for the transition to renewable energy sources will save the average family $500/year. The bill will prevent millions of people from drastic increases in their health insurance and will stop 3 million from becoming uninsured. At long last, Medicare will be able to negotiate to lower drug prices, and Medicare recipients’ drug costs will be capped, with prescription and health insurance savings expected well beyond Medicare.
CHN unveils 2022 Reconciliation Resource Library
David Elliot,
August 2, 2022
This week, the Coalition on Human Needs unveiled its 2022 Reconciliation Resource Library. This resource will offer one-stop shopping for those wanting to learn more about the Inflation Reduction act of 2020, what it will do, and why it should pass. CHN is posting to the site statements from its member groups and allied groups, as well as analysis of the Act by leaders in Congress, other government entities and a range of experts.
Faith leaders call on Congress to close Medicaid coverage gap
David Elliot,
July 29, 2022
With the clock ticking toward Congress’ annual August recess, faith leaders convened on Capitol Hill this week to urge Congress to close the Medicaid coverage gap as part of reconciliation legislation. Leaders also called for advancing racial equity, addressing climate change, higher taxes on corporations and wealthy individuals, and lowering the cost of prescription drugs. But with reports surfacing that the legislation pending in the Senate would not include a provision to help more than two million low-income Americans in 12 states, mostly people of color, access health care, pressure mounted on Senate Democrats to close the coverage gap in states that opted not to do so as part of the Affordable Care Act.
CHN’s COVID-19 Watch: Tracking Hardship, July 25, 2022
CHN Staff,
July 25, 2022
The pandemic fatigue edition. Daily COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths are once again on the rise. Daily cases have more than quadrupled since March and hospitalizations have doubled since May. But new polling suggests Americans have moved on – and are less willing than they have ever been to take steps to avoid contracting the virus. One poll finds that fewer than half of Americans are willing to undertake mitigation efforts. Only 36 percent of respondents said they wear a mask when outside their home – the lowest percentage since the pandemic began. And the same number of respondents said they never wear a mask when outside their home, a 14 percent increase since the same time last year.
Making children, families, and the economy thrive: The power of investments
David Elliot,
July 22, 2022
Affordable child care, tax credits for families with children, and offering nutritious meals, particularly to children in families with low incomes, are the three vehicles best suited for driving families, young children, and the nation’s economy down a pathway to success. That’s the testimony offered this week by two academicians and one child advocate who appeared before the House Budget Committee.
