In Case You Missed It… | Center on Budget and Policy Priorities

off the charts

POLICY INSIGHT
BEYOND THE NUMBERS

This week at CBPP we focused on health, food assistance, the federal budget and taxes, state budgets and taxes, family income support, and housing.

On health, Jennifer Wagner and Judith Solomon detailed how states’ Medicaid waivers will create costly bureaucracy and harm eligible beneficiaries. Wagner explained how the waivers will effectively divert millions of dollars from providing health care to creating new bureaucracy. Jessica Schubel and Matt Broaddus showed how making it harder for beneficiaries to obtain and maintain coverage will impede access to care and increase uncompensated care costs. Aviva Aron-Dine concluded that proposed Medicaid eligibility restrictions will have unintended, harmful consequences. Jesse Cross-Call illustrated how a Michigan bill that would take Medicaid coverage from beneficiaries who can’t meet rigid work requirements would harm people in all parts of the state.
On food assistance, Brynne Keith-Jennings reviewed a growing body of evidence that supports the importance of SNAP (formerly food stamps) — and doesn’t support harmful changes the House farm bill would make to the program. We updated policy briefs on how the farm bill’s SNAP cuts would hurt veterans and people with disabilities.
On the federal budget and taxes, Arloc Sherman explained that a Canadian-style child tax benefit would cut U.S. child poverty by more than half. Chuck Marr pointed to a new Congressional Budget Office analysis that shows how the 2017 tax law is eroding the nation’s revenue base. Roderick Taylor warned that the House Appropriations Committee 2019 funding bill leaves IRS enforcement funding depleted. We updated our backgrounder on deficits, debt, and interest.
On state budgets and taxes, Michael Leachman highlighted new Census data that show persistent state school funding cuts.
On family income support, LaDonna Pavetti and Liz Schott cautioned that while a House bill to reauthorize the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program makes some improvements, it doesn’t go far enough.
On housing, Anna Bailey warned that the President’s Medicaid and rental assistance proposals would reduce access to programs that help improve housing stability and access to health care among people with mental health conditions. Peggy Bailey called on policymakers to use money already committed to addressing the opioid epidemic to meet the housing needs of people with substance use disorders rather than diverting money from the oversubscribed resources for housing assistance.

Chart of the Week – Uncompensated Care Costs Fell in Nearly Every State as ACA’s Major Coverage Provisions Took Effect

Uncompensated Care Costs Decline with Decline in Uninsured Rate

A variety of news outlets featured CBPP’s work and experts recently. Here are some highlights:

States face big costs, coverage losses from Medicaid work requirements
Modern Healthcare
May 23, 2018

Work requirements are paperwork requirements
Huffington Post
May 23, 2018

Why hunger is still a problem in America
CBS News
May 22, 2018

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