The number of children in the U.S. without access to health care could double over the next 15 months as states begin a massive effort to determine who remains eligible for Medicaid and CHIP and who isn’t. That’s the finding of a groundbreaking report issued this week by the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families.
Archives: Voices
Credit card holders get protection from fraud. Shouldn’t EBT users, too?
A few years ago, someone stole my card information and took over $100. You’d assume the bank or credit card company would reimburse that fraud, right? Not for me, unfortunately. The skimmed card number was for my Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card, which allows me to purchase food for my family through the federal SNAP program (formerly known as food stamps). Unlike credit and debit cards, EBT cards are not protected
CHN’s COVID-19 Watch: Tracking Hardship, February 10, 2023
The cuts are unacceptable edition. Throughout the pandemic, certain Americans have borne more of the brunt of COVID-19 than others. The elderly have experienced the highest death rates. People with low incomes and people of color have been more likely to get sick, and to face economic displacement though job loss, lack of access to affordable child care, and even homelessness. These vulnerable Americans now face new threats: cuts to many programs critical to those in need.
Investments and Justice: A State of the Union in Which “No One is Left Behind”
President Biden gets it. “Amid the economic upheaval of the past four decades, too many people have been left behind or treated like they’re invisible,” he told us during his State of the Union address. “That’s why we’re building an economy where no one is left behind.”
Hi, Dads – and welcome to the fray!
A brand new caucus has emerged in the U.S. House of Representatives. Its arrival is good news, if perhaps a bit overdue. Last week, members announced the launch of the Congressional Dads Caucus, which will focus on pro-family issues such as an expanded Child Tax Credit, national paid family and medical leave, and more funding for child care and health care.
Don’t let politicians cut housing aid
We all need physical safety before we can do anything else. Without a roof over our heads, that sense of security is impossible. And with two small children in tow, things get scary. And after fleeing a dangerous domestic situation with my baby and 9-year-old son, with no home but the small moving truck I had rented to escape, I still felt unsafe and terrified. I left economic security and a beautiful Victorian home overlooking a lush green park in Savannah, Georgia and drove to Jacksonville, Florida — where I discovered the only affordable options for housing for us were uninhabitable apartments.
CHN’s COVID-19 Watch: Tracking Hardship, January 27, 2023
The debt ceiling edition. There just might be some good news on the COVID-19 front. New cases, hospitalizations, stays in ICUs and test positivity are all down sharply, compared with two weeks ago. This follows a post holiday bump reported in early to mid January. Meanwhile, the “tripledemic” of RSV, flu, and COVID-19 is easing off, as hospitals nationwide report improving conditions.
It’s official: the U.S. tax code worsens racial disparity in America
For some time, human needs advocates and many economists have maintained that the U.S. tax code discriminates on the basis of race and ethnicity by increasing disparities between families with wealth – more often White families – and families without wealth. Now, for the first time ever, a U.S. Treasury Department study has confirmed these suspicions: White Americans disproportionately benefit from a variety of tax breaks, including those aimed at investors.
Who does inflation hurt most? From 2021 to 2022, the ground shifted.
When inflation began ravaging Americans’ pocketbooks and wallets in early 2021, it was middle-income Americans who mostly bore the brunt. That’s because inflation then was in part driven by gas costs and a shortage of used cars, which led to higher prices. Americans with low incomes, while hurt, were affected slightly less. Last year, that changed, according to a new report by the New York Fed.
America’s inequality problem in one statistic
If you work for a big corporation, there’s a very good chance your boss has already raked in more cash than you will all year. If the typical CEO of a large U.S. corporation clocked in at 9 am on January 2, by 3:37 pm that afternoon he’d made $58,260 — the average annual salary for all U.S. occupations. In less than seven hours on the first workday of the year, that CEO made as much as the average U.S. worker will make all year long.
Why new consumer protection agency rule must include EBT account holders
It began, in part and strangely enough, with a banana. Entrepreneur Jimmy Chen hoped to develop software that would make it easier for people with low incomes to apply for SNAP benefits. While conducting research and interviews and studying how poor people shop, he noticed people buying one very cheap item – often a banana – so that they could find out their Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) balance, which was printed on their receipt.
A stronger IRS helps make our tax system fairer for families
As tax filing season begins, you may be wondering about recent efforts to strip the IRS of billions of dollars of funding. Last week, House Republicans voted to rescind the $80 billion in new IRS funding included in the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. While this cut will not ultimately be enacted (the Democratically-controlled Senate will not pass the bill and President Biden has indicated he would veto it), it brings attention to the critical need for more – not reduced – IRS funding.