My time working as a summer law clerk at Nebraska Appleseed flew by. I was excited to work for an organization motivated by the values of justice and opportunity. By the end of the summer, I had a deeper understanding of both the challenges advocates face when addressing systematic inequality, as well as the creative […]
A Law Clerk’s View: Medicaid & the Federal Budget Process Read More »
On Thursday, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed two constitutional challenges to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), finding that both plaintiffs lacked the requisite standing to challenge the law. Out of the other four other circuits have that have ruled on ACA challenges, only one other (the 11th Circuit) has decided (in a 2-1
Yet Another Health Care Challenge Rejected Read More »
Last week, the State Auditor released a report on the child welfare privatization, which detailed, among other things, the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services’ gross mismanagement and lack of oversight of valuable taxpayer dollars intended for the state’s most vulnerable children. Appleseed is deeply troubled by the severity of the information in the
As a follow-up to a report released in early June, eight Nebraska advocacy organizations representing consumer interests put forward a set of principles concerning governance and oversight within a Nebraska health insurance exchange. These principles are designed to help guide the conversation that will take place among legislators and state officials in the coming months.The
Recently, state officials and national experts have commented that privatization can take a number of years to see results. But, as Appleseed and other advocates have said – and this cartoon in Tuesday’s Omaha World Herald points out: children in the system don’t have years to wait. Over the past year and a half since
We all know that a lower income means more struggles for families. Families with greater economic resources are not only able to better provide important inputs into their children’s development such as nutritious meals, safe neighborhoods, and higher-quality educations, but higher incomes have also been shown to improve parent’s psychological well-being and parental interactions with
Public Assistance Programs DO Matter for Kids and Families Read More »
Our good friends at the Center for Rural Affairs released a report this week that examines how the Affordable Care Act (ACA) will revive and sustain small towns, farms and ranches. As Nebraska gears up for implementing the final crucial pieces of the ACA, this report provides valuable information concerning Nebraska’s unique urban-rural makeup. The
Report Examines How Health Reform is Helping Young, Rural Nebraskans Read More »
Economists at Harvard and MIT recently examined the question of whether the expansion of Medicaid coverage under new health reform laws will translate into medical care that people need. The outcome? The results were encouraging, providing evidence that Medicaid does indeed make a very positive impact on the lives of recipients. Medicaid, a federal-state program
New Academic Research Shows Medicaid Good for Nebraskans and People Generally Read More »
On Friday, the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services announced that the state will be providing an additional $5.5 million in the current fiscal year ending June 30, 2011 and an additional $7.4 million in the next fiscal year starting July 1, 2011 to the state’s faltering child welfare privatization effort. Also on Friday,
Additional Child Welfare Funding and Restructuring Raises Additional Questions Read More »
As Nebraska gears up for planning and creating a health insurance exchange as required by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), nine Nebraska advocacy organizations representing consumer interests put forward a set of principles designed to help guide the conversation that will take place among legislators and state officials in the coming months.