Poverty

The proposal would improve the economic well-being of 46 million low- and moderate-income households with 114 million people.

Some non-expansion states are considering coupling Medicaid expansion with policies that take coverage away from people not meeting work requirements. 

States that have expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to low-income adults have seen large gains in coverage; improvements in access to care, financial security, and health; reductions in uncompensated care costs; and, in many cases, state budget savings. Now, some states are considering adopting only a “partial” expansion of Medicaid instead of full expansion.

Large numbers of people subject to a work requirement under Arkansas’ Medicaid program don’t know about or understand the requirement and complying with it is “hassle-filled,” says a new paper on work requirements based on behavioral science.

Both the House Budget Committee and the Trump Administration have now proposed a “cap adjustment” to allow added funding for tax enforcement that doesn’t count against annual caps on non-defense appropriations.

April 15 marks the deadline for families and businesses to file their federal income taxes, which support an array of crucial services all over America. But state taxes play an equally crucial role in families’ and communities’ well-being. Different approaches to raising state tax revenue can lessen, or worsen, economic inequality and racial injustice.

SNAP’s harsh three-month limit on food assistance, which the Administration wants to make even harsher, reflects the idea that taking food away from jobless adults will lead them to work or earn more. But repeated studies, including a new report from the nonprofit consulting firm ideas42, conclude that work requirements in public assistance programs don’t work.

Some 15.6 million U.S. workers were self-employed in 2018, many of whom are part of the growing gig economy and are taking side jobs.

Taking government benefits away from people who don’t meet work requirements ignores a body of scientific evidence that these policies make it harder for people to find and maintain employment, according to a new report.

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

As federal policymakers consider investments to address the nation’s pressing infrastructure needs, a core priority should be to direct substantial resources to low-income communities, our new report shows.

The Justice Department’s recent announcement that it now supports a district court decision that would strike down the entire Affordable Care Act (ACA) puts even more at stake for Medicaid than is commonly understood — in the unlikely event that higher courts uphold the decision.

In calling for higher courts to uphold U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor’s ruling striking down the Affordable Care Act (ACA), President Trump promised to replace the ACA with legislation that supposedly will lower costs while protecting people with pre-existing conditions, although he now says he won’t seek to pass legislation until 2021.

The nation has large, pressing infrastructure needs, which are often felt most acutely in low-income communities due to decades of policy choices and lack of public and private investment.

The bill would increase funding for both defense and non-defense discretionary programs in 2020 and 2021 above the very low ceilings set under the 2011 Budget Control Act.

This primer provides basic information on how reinsurance programs work, how state approaches differ, potential pitfalls, and the pros and cons of reinsurance compared to other options to help consumers.

Companion bills from House and Senate Republicans to reauthorize the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant, which is set to expire June 30, would make it harder for states to tailor appropriate plans to meet the needs of the most vulnerable families and make it likelier that these families will be left even further behind — with neither cash assistance nor help to prepare for, and connect to, work.

The disaster relief bill that the Senate’s expected to pass this week doesn’t include critical Medicaid funds that Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa need to continue providing health care to their residents.

This week at CBPP, we focused on health, the federal budget, federal taxes, and the economy.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued its initial approval today of Utah’s Medicaid waiver that expands coverage to some low-income adults but rejects a full expansion of Medicaid that would have covered tens of thousands more.