Government

Md. Lawmakers Pitch Health-Insurance Down Payment Plan

WASHINGTON INFORMER — About 130,000 uninsured Marylanders could receive health insurance in the next two years.

Published

5 years ago

February 19, 2019

By William J. Ford

ANNAPOLIS — About 130,000 uninsured Marylanders could receive health insurance in the next two years, said two state lawmakers floating a health care proposal Wednesday in Annapolis.

With the support of several health care organizations and advocates, Delegate Joseline Peña-Melnyk (D-District 21) of College Park and state Sen. Brian Feldman (D-Montgomery County) plan to use an individual health care mandate in the state.

Their bill allows residents to make a down payment on an insurance plan or pay a $700 penalty during tax season. Either way, the lawmakers said, the money would be minimal and allows more people to receive health coverage.

Tax refunds could be used to sign up for health insurance and forwarded to the state’s health insurance exchange to purchase plans.

“We have to make sure everyone in our state has insurance,” Peña-Melnyk, a sponsor of the bill in the House, said at the Maryland State Medical Society office. “This one, wonderful creative way to do it. This is another in the toolbox. It really is the right thing to do.”

Feldman said the plan would help keep the Affordable Care Act alive in Maryland. The federal government stopped the requirement of the ACA’s individual mandate after a change in the federal tax code in 2017.

He also said prior to the ACA, the state’s insurance rate stood at 12 percent. Today, he said, it’s been cut in half to 6 percent.

“We’re trying to avoid the rancor from Capitol Hill,” Feldman said. “This proposal does that.”

The health care idea, which Peña-Melnyk said has been in the works for about eight months, came from Families USA, a health care consumer organization.

Stan Dorn, a senior fellow with the D.C.-based Families USA, briefly outlined who would benefit in Maryland: 70,000 uninsured residents who have access to federal tax premiums; 50,000 could qualify for Medicaid, a program for low-income residents; and another 10,000 whose down payment could possibly cover most of their premiums.

Dorn said states such as Massachusetts, New Jersey, Washington and Vermont and the District of Columbia implemented individual mandate requirements. However, Maryland would be the only state with an option to provide a down payment.

“We see it as an important, national model,” said Dorn, who is also the director of the National Center for Coverage Innovation.

Representatives for various health organizations such as the American Heart Association, Maryland Hospital Association and SEIU 1199 attended the press conference and applauded the “creative” proposal.

“Our physicians see quite regularly, especially in the emergency rooms, people who come in with illnesses and ailments that could have been prevented if only they had access and if they had known they had access,” said Teresa Healey-Conway, executive director of the state medical societies for Anne Arundel, Howard and Prince George’s counties.

Feldman’s legislation will be discussed at a March 6 hearing in the Senate, but no date has been scheduled yet for Peña-Melnyk’s bill in the House. Neither communicated with Republican Gov. Larry Hogan on this year’s proposal, but he worked with lawmakers last year on similar legislation that stalled.

Hogan spokeswoman Amelia Chasse said the governor generally favors incentives over penalties.

“For example, by successfully enacting legislation and securing federal approval of Maryland’s reinsurance waiver, premiums on the individual market are decreasing across the board for the first time in decades,” she said. “The new Maryland model all-payer contract incentivizes providers to increase quality of care while lowering costs across the health care system. The governor will review and consider any legislation that reaches his desk.”

This article originally appeared in the Washington Informer.

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California Black Media

California Senators Alex Padilla and Laphonza Butler Back Local News Resolution

Last week, California U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Laphonza Butler, both Democrats, announced their support for a resolution that recognizes the significance of local news. In the resolution dated April 23, Padilla and Butler joined Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai’i) and 10 other colleagues in designating April as “Preserving and Protecting Local News Month.”

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1 hour ago

May 3, 2024

Oakland Post

Senators Alex Padilla and Laphonza Butler

By California Black Media

Last week, California U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Laphonza Butler, both Democrats, announced their support for a resolution that recognizes the significance of local news.

In the resolution dated April 23, Padilla and Butler joined Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai’i) and 10 other colleagues in designating April as “Preserving and Protecting Local News Month.”

The resolution acknowledges that local news outlets are a public good essential to preserving America’s democracy.

“Millions of Americans count on the local news to help them understand what is happening in their neighborhoods and around the country. Yet local newsrooms have suffered from some of the harshest layoffs and budget cuts in recent years,” Butler said in a statement.

“It is critical that we recognize the role our local press plays in keeping people informed on the world around them,” she said.

The resolution comes at a crucial time in the media industry when employment decreased by 26% nationwide between 2008 and 2020, according to supporters of the bill. Employment in the newsroom came with great uncertainty as more than 30,000 jobs were lost in the last two decades.

Sen. Schatz said that local news helps increase civic engagement and strengthens democratic norms and practices. This resolution will help local journalists maintain healthy and vibrant communities through valuable storytelling.

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Activism

Calif. Anti-Sex Trafficking Advocates Discuss Competing Bills, Strategies

Advocates from across California are challenging state officials and community leaders to support legislation that provides resources and services for survivors and victims of human trafficking, as well as assistance as they transition back into civil society.  Some of those advocates are also calling for more effective state policy to curtail trafficking, a crime that has an outsized impact on Black children, particularly girls.

Published

2 hours ago

May 3, 2024

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By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

Some of those advocates are also calling for more effective state policy to curtail trafficking, a crime that has an outsized impact on Black children, particularly girls.

According to the FBI, a report covering a two-year period found Black children accounted for 57% of all juvenile arrests for prostitution. In addition, 40% of sex trafficking victims were Black and 60% of those victims had been enrolled in the foster care system.

“It is time to hold the perpetrators who take advantage of our children accountable,” said the Rev. Shane Harris, a San Diego-based activist, former foster youth and founder of the Peoples Association of Justice Advocates, (PAJA), a national civil rights organization and policy think tank.

“It is time to send a thorough message that if you seek to buy a child for sex, you will pay the highest criminal penalties in this state,” added Harris who was speaking at a rally at the State Capitol earlier this month. Harris was speaking in support of Senate Bill 1414, authored by Sen. Shannon Grove (D-Bakersfield), which calls for people who buy sex from minors to be punished with a felony. The punishment includes a two-year prison sentence and a $25,000 fine.

Harris said the PAJA is the only civil rights organization in the state that supports SB 1414.

Harris urged other Black-led groups who favor anti-trafficking legislation more focused on criminal justice reforms (as opposed to stiffer penalties), to “join the movement.”

Many of those civil rights groups fear that SB 1414 could lead to the incarceration of more Black youth.

Those sentiments were echoed in a panel discussion organized by Black women advocates on April 26 to examine the cause and effects of human trafficking in California’s Black communities. The virtual event was hosted by the Forgotten Children, Inc, a faith-based nonprofit that advocates for survivors and victims of human trafficking through anti-trafficking campaigns and initiatives.

Panelists shared the psychological impact of sexual exploitation on youth and children in the long term.

Author and educator Dr. Stephany Powell shared statistics and information revealing that African American women and girls are the most trafficked nationwide.

Powell, who serves as the senior advisor on law enforcement and policy at the National Center on Sexual Exploitation said that national data indicates that sex trade survivors are disproportionately women of color. She stated that male survivors often go unnoticed because boys rarely report trafficked crimes.

Powell said that decriminalizing prostitution in California could increase human trafficking. She argued that Senate Bill 357, authored by Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), which was signed into law in 2022 and legalized loitering for prostitution, caused a surge in street-level prostitution.

Panelist and psychologist Dr. Gloria Morrow shared opposing views on decriminalizing prostitution. She said that decriminalizing prostitution could help survivors gain access to state resources and support.

Despite opposing views, Powell and Morrow agree that the Black community needs resources and educational programs to address human trafficking.

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California Black Media

Audit: California Is Poorly Monitoring Homelessness Spending

California has failed to monitor state spending and evaluate the outcomes of homelessness programs, according to a report issued last week by the California State Auditor’s Office. California State Auditor Grant Parks urged Governor Gavin Newsom to continue to hold local governments accountable in an open letter dated April 9. The audit highlighted that tracking programs and collecting accurate data could help the state save money.

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2 hours ago

May 3, 2024

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By California Black Media

California has failed to monitor state spending and evaluate the outcomes of homelessness programs, according to a report issued last week by the California State Auditor’s Office.

California State Auditor Grant Parks urged Governor Gavin Newsom to continue to hold local governments accountable in an open letter dated April 9. The audit highlighted that tracking programs and collecting accurate data could help the state save money.

“The state must do more to assess the cost-effectiveness of its homelessness programs,” Parks said.

The report showed that California spent approximately $20 billion on programs and initiatives addressing homelessness in the past five years. Although state funds were allocated to fund shelters and subsidized rent, homelessness in the state increased by 65 during the last year.

In 2021, Gov. Newsom signed a law that required organizations that received state funds to collect data and evaluate the progress of programs they implement.

California auditors revealed that only two out of five action plans were cost-effective. One was Project Homekey, which converted hotels into housing during COVID-19, and CalWORKS, a housing support that offered financial assistance to low-income residents.

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle expressed concern after the report was released.

“The biggest conclusion that the auditors came back with is there’s just inadequate transparency and data and information available,” said Sen. Dave Cortese (D-San Jose) in a statement.

Republican Sen. Roger Niello (R-Roseville) said, “These audit results are a wake-up call for a shift towards solutions that prioritize self-sufficiency and cost-effectiveness.”