BEYOND THE NUMBERS
In Case You Missed It…
This week at CBPP, we focused on health, family income support, state budgets and taxes, Social Security, and the economy.
- On health, Judith Solomon warned that the Trump Administration can’t justify re-approving Kentucky’s Medicaid waiver that would take away Medicaid coverage from people who aren’t working or participating in work-related activities for 80 hours per month, and she examined how proposals like Kentucky’s will affect various groups of beneficiaries. We explained how Medicaid work requirements will harm rural residents and communities. Jennifer Wagner noted that two months after Arkansas began implementing rigid Medicaid work requirements, eligible beneficiaries are still struggling to meet them. Sonal Ambegaokar, Rachael Podesfinski, and Wagner detailed how state and local agencies are using technology to modernize customer service in health and human services.
- On family income support, we marked the 22nd anniversary of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program with a series of blog posts: Tazra Mitchell emphasized the importance of cash income to families that are struggling to afford basic needs; Ife Floyd explained that TANF is failing to help families meet those needs and helping fewer and fewer poor families; Liz Schott noted that TANF’s work programs do little to help needy parents get work; and Ashley Burnside revealed that states spend just half of their TANF funds in the core welfare reform areas of cash assistance and work. We also mapped how TANF is providing a weaker safety net for poor families and updated our TANF chart book.
- On state budgets and taxes, Michael Leachman pointed to continuing school funding challenges as the new school year starts.
- On Social Security, we updated our backgrounder on Supplemental Security Income.
- On the economy, we updated our backgrounder on unemployment compensation.
Chart of the week: States Expanding Medicaid Have Made Bigger Gains in Rural Health Coverage
A variety of news outlets featured CBPP’s work and experts recently. Here are some highlights:
It’s Back-to-School Season, and Schools Are Still Underfunded
Pacific Standard Magazine
August 23, 2018
Welcome to America, Where Parents Can’t Afford Diapers
The Nation
August 22, 2018
Capital gains cut would widen racial wealth gap
Center for Public Integrity
August 21, 2018
As overdose deaths rise in Maine, there is too little focus on what works
Bangor Daily News
August 21, 2018
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