Skip to main content
off the charts
POLICY INSIGHT
BEYOND THE NUMBERS

In Case You Missed It…

| By CBPP

This week at CBPP, we focused on poverty and inequality, health, federal taxes, state budgets and taxes, housing, and the economy.

  • On poverty and inequality, Robert Greenstein released a statement on the Census data for 2017, which showed that health coverage progress stalled, even as the economy reduced poverty and boosted incomes. Arloc Sherman detailed how the new Census data show that programs that policymakers are considering cutting kept millions of people above the poverty line in 2017. Danilo Trisi used the Supplemental Poverty Measure to show that economic security programs have cut poverty nearly in half over the last 50 years. We launched a new video series that shows the harm to workers that proposals to take SNAP (food stamps) and Medicaid away from people who can’t meet rigid work requirements would do.
  • On health, Matt Broaddus explained that 2017 marked the fourth full year of the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) major coverage expansions, but the first of them that didn’t show large coverage gains, and he noted that states that haven’t adopted the ACA’s Medicaid expansion continue to lag those that have on health coverage.

    Jennifer Wagner reported that more than 4,300 Medicaid beneficiaries in Arkansas lost their coverage because they didn’t meet rigid work requirements. Halley Cloud warned that navigator program funding cuts will leave many marketplace consumers on their own to apply for and enroll in health coverage. Tara Straw cautioned that a bill before the House would weaken the requirement that employers offer health insurance, raising the number of uninsured and adding billions to deficits. Paul N. Van de Water clarified that raising the threshold for the ACA’s employer mandate from 30 to 40 hours would put more workers at risk. We highlighted the Integrated Benefits Initiative, which is testing ways to improve the eligibility determination process for benefits.

  • On federal taxes, Robert Greenstein outlined how the House Republican leaders’ “2.0” tax plan repeats the flaws of the 2017 tax law. Chuck Marr and Brendan Duke pointed out that the plan fails a fiscal responsibility test and favors the wealthiest. Marr updated his post illustrating the problems with the plan. Duke explained why the plan’s Universal Savings Account provision is fundamentally flawed.
  • On state budgets and taxes, Erica Williams pointed to the new Census data to encourage states to adopt policies to boost progress on poverty and income and to help dismantle racial barriers to broader prosperity. Michael Leachman illustrated how K-12 funding cuts are contributing to inadequate teacher pay.
  • On housing, Alicia Mazzara explained that the new Census data show that renters’ incomes still lag far behind housing costs.
  • On economy, we updated our chart book on the legacy of the Great Recession.

Chart of the Week Uninsured Rate Gap Between Medicaid Expansion States and Others Widening

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

U.S. Household Income Rises to Pre-Recession Levels, Prompting Cheers and Questions
New York Times
September 12, 2018

Arkansas drops 4,300 from Medicaid plan over new work rules
Associated Press
September 12, 2018

Household incomes hit new high, but rate of health coverage flattens, Census Bureau says
Los Angeles Times
September 12, 2018

Tickets From Poverty to a Better Future
New York Times
September 12, 2018

House GOP is pushing a new round of tax cuts that could cost $2 trillion over 10 years
Washington Post
September 11, 2018

Don’t miss any of our posts, papers, or charts – follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.