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POLICY INSIGHT
BEYOND THE NUMBERS

In Case You Missed It...

| By CBPP

This week at CBPP, we focused on food assistance, state budgets and taxes, health, and the economy.

  • On food assistance, Javier Balmaceda cautioned that without immediate federal action, 1.4 million Puerto Rican residents face cuts in needed food aid. Dottie Rosenbaum noted that many SNAP households face a long gap between monthly benefits despite the end of the government shutdown. Elizabeth Wolkomir and Stacy Dean explained that child support cooperation requirements in SNAP are unproven, costly, and put families at risk; our new fact sheet summarizes their report.

  • On state budgets and taxes, Wesley Tharpe showed why raising income tax rates at the top is a sensible way for states to fund key investments. He also summarized the report.

  • On health, Aviva Aron-Dine testified on the impact of the Administration’s policies affecting the Affordable Care Act. Sarah Lueck lauded states that are protecting residents against skimpy short-term health plans and urged others to follow. Jesse Cross-Call and Jessica Schubel warned that a Utah bill to replace the state’s voter-approved Medicaid expansion would cover fewer people and create new financial risks.

  • On the economy, we updated our backgrounder on how many weeks of unemployment compensation are available and our chart book on the legacy of the Great Recession.

Chart of the Week – Health Care Spending Growth Has Slowed Since 2010

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

Government shutdown is over, but neediest Pennsylvanians on SNAP still scrambling due to payment disruptions
WHYY
February 7, 2019

Wall Street’s Slide Hurts New York; City Loses Nearly $1 Billion in Tax Revenue
New York Times
February 6, 2019

1.4 million Puerto Ricans face deep cuts in food aid without federal action
NBC News
February 5, 2019

Utah And Idaho Lawmakers Seek to Scale Back Voter-Approved Medicaid Expansions
Kaiser Health News
February 5, 2019

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