Written by on Oct. 29, 2012 in Medicare & Health .
Last week we got a call from Ayesha in Houston, Texas. She said she heard Obamacare will be funded through taxes, so she wanted to know how much more she'd have to pay. Here's the scoop.
Only some people will pay higher taxes as a result of Obamacare. Will you be one of them? Here's how to tell. First, if you make more than $200,000 per year (or $250,000 as a married couple), then you should expect to pay additional taxes to fund the health reform law. And second, if you don't have health ...
Written by on Sept. 24, 2012 in Medicare & Health .
This election season has put a lot of focus on Medicare, the federal health insurance program for the elderly. There’s been less emphasis on Medicaid, the health program for low-income Americans, though both President Obama and Governor Romney would dramatically change Medicaid. Currently Medicaid serves mainly children, the disabled, and senior citizens, including those who require long-term care.
Medicare
President Obama does not propose fundamental change to Medicare. He’s been attacked for cutting $716 billion from the program, though none of those savings come from reduced benefits for seniors. Instead, that number reflects changes to Medicare Advantage, reduced ...
Written by on Sept. 13, 2012 in Education, Food & Agriculture, Housing and Community, Medicare & Health, Military, Social Security, Unemployment & Labor, Veterans Benefits .
This fall we're launching the incredible stories of Americans across the country in a project called Faces of the Budget. National Priorities Project has been gathering the stories of every-day people and how they've been affected by the spending and tax policies of the federal budget. Since all of us are affected by the federal budget in various ways – even if we don’t realize it – everyone has a story to tell.
We'll be sharing the words and stories of regular Americans on Facebook. If you'd like to share your story, please contact us.
Today I ...
Written by on July 12, 2012 in Data Story, Medicare & Health, Social Security, Unemployment & Labor .
In the Federal Priorities Database, NPP hosts state-by-state data on federal spending and social and economic indicators, including the unemployment rate and people served by the Medicaid program. This graph makes use of related data to show how unemployment and Medicaid enrollment rose together following the start of the recession in 2007.
Unemployment rose sharply following the start of the Great Recession in 2007. At the same time, enrollment in Medicaid increased as Americans who were hard-hit in the economic downturn qualified for the health insurance program for low-income Americans. Medicaid enrollment rose from 16.6 percent of the under-65 ...
Written by on June 28, 2012 in Medicare & Health .
Today the Supreme Court upheld nearly all provisions of the Affordable Care Act, the health care reform legislation also referred to as Obamacare. This is what the crowd looked like in front of the Supreme Court this morning before the ruling was announced:
The most controversial part of the law — the individual mandate requiring all Americans to purchase health insurance — was upheld. One part of the law was struck down: The Court found that Congress cannot pull existing Medicaid funding from states that refuse to comply with the law's expansion of Medicaid eligibility.
As I wrote here last week ...
Written by on June 20, 2012 in Medicare & Health .
The Supreme Court is expected to announce any day now its ruling on the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act, the 2010 health care reform legislation. The central question of the case is whether Congress has the authority to require Americans to purchase health insurance.
One reason lawmakers passed the Affordable Care Act was to try to drive down the costs of health care. That's because health care costs have been rising sharply for just about everyone. Health care has gotten more expensive for Americans who buy private insurance; it's gotten more expensive for people in other industrialized ...
