WASHINGTON — Some 20 million people have signed up for health insurance this year through the Affordable Care Act marketplaces, a record-breaking figure. President Joe Biden will likely proclaim those results regularly on the campaign trail for months to come as former President Donald Trump, the Republican front-runner, vows to dismantle the Obama-era program. The … Read more
Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly renewed her call Wednesday to expand Medicaid and countered an anticipated single-rate flat income tax for individuals with a plan that would instead cut taxes by doing things like accelerating the phasing out of the state’s sales tax on groceries. Kelly said in her annual State of the State address that … Read more
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Pleas from transgender children’s pediatricians and parents to keep allowing such kids to receive hormone therapies failed to stop Republican lawmakers from advancing a ban on those treatments to the South Carolina House floor on Wednesday. The GOP-led Medical, Military, Public and Municipal Affairs Committee voted to advance the bill within the … Read more
WASHINGTON — In a new twist to the fight over abortion access, congressional Republicans are trying to block a Biden administration spending rule that they say will cut off millions of dollars to anti-abortion counseling centers. The rule would prohibit states from sending federal funds earmarked for needy Americans to so-called “crisis pregnancy centers,” which … Read more
JACKSON, Miss. — The day after Mississippi health officials told residents in the state’s capital that dangerous bacteria could be in their tap water, a new round of test results did not find E. coli in Jackson’s supply, the city’s water manager said Friday. Ted Henifin, Jackson’s interim water manager, said repeat samples taken from … Read more
Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly renewed her call Wednesday to expand Medicaid and countered an anticipated single-rate flat income tax for individuals with a plan that would instead cut taxes by doing things like accelerating the phasing out of the state’s sales tax on groceries. Kelly said in her annual State of the State address that … Read more
Nearly 21 million children in the U.S. and its territories are expected to receive food benefits this summer through a newly permanent federal program, the United States Department of Agriculture announced Wednesday. Thirty-five states, all five U.S. territories and four tribes opted into the Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer program, or Summer EBT, which the government … Read more
ATLANTA — Georgia’s General Assembly begins its 2024 regular session Monday and the top intrigue is whether Republicans, after longtime opposition, may agree to a further expansion of health care for poor adults under the state’s Medicaid program. Republican House Speaker Jon Burns of Newington said he wants to explore the idea, and Republican Lt. … Read more
Bianca Williams was tired of trying to find a store that either accepted federal food benefits for low-income mothers and their children or a store that had quality produce. So the Milwaukee resident — who has seven kids, including two currently being breastfed — decided in November that she’d rather turn to frozen Thanksgiving leftovers … Read more
SANTA FE, N.M. — Leading New Mexico lawmakers on Friday recommended a 5.9% increase in general fund spending for the coming fiscal year amid a windfall in oil-related income, while also sounding a cautionary note on the future of the state’s petroleum bonanza and setting aside more money in savings and investment accounts. The proposal … Read more
