March 31, 2010
A group represe nting Arizona hospitals is pursuing a ballot initiative that would tax the state’s high-income earners to help pay the health-care tab for the state’s neediest kids and adults. The Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association expects to file paperwork for the initiative later this week, aiming for a place on the November ballot. […]
March 31, 2010
State Rep. Bill Proctor, R-St. Augustine, predicted Tuesday that a bill that "restrains" Medicaid costs will most likely be presented to the Legislature this session. "Medicaid is the Pac-Man in the state budget," Proctor said, echoing a well-used comparison. "It is taking an increasing amount of the state budget, Our two biggest budget items are […]
March 31, 2010
More than $2 billion in state aid payments to public school districts across the state are being delayed , possibly until June, because of the state’s worsening financial crisis, Gov. David A. Paterson said Tuesday. The governor’s order, coming the day before the aid was to go out, left school districts scrambling, with talk of […]
March 31, 2010
New York will get a $1.3 billion boost in federal Medicaid funding beginning in 2014, thanks to the health-care reform legislation. The money will fund a Medicaid expansion to insure more low-income peo ple, but there is uncertainty over the long-term financial impact of that expansion. Under the legislation, the state will see annual increases […]
March 31, 2010
As U.S. health insurers begin adapting to the newly passed health reform overhaul, the 2014 expansion of the Medicaid program for the poor presents one clear growth area for the industry. But that growth comes with some risks and remains several years away. Before the Medicaid expansion takes hold, even greater challenges may lie ahead […]
March 31, 2010
Critics describe the Chicago Public Schools special education system as so complex and litigious that parents of children with disabilities must hire a cadre of medical and legal experts to have any hope of getting their child proper educational services. Disputes with the district can drain parents’ resources and patience, and leave the physicians who […]
March 30, 2010
Heartache was heavy Monday, as South Bend school board members voted to cut more than $7 million from the corporation’s budget over the next two years, including more than 75 total jobs. But, school board members say they also felt an air of something else: compromise. The cuts will be felt across the board, from […]
March 30, 2010
While Sandwich schools should make it through this school year OK, cuts may be needed in the next school year. Superintendent Rick Schmitt told the School Board this month that the district’s overall fund balances will allow it to sustain many of its current programs and services, but "right now it looks like we might […]
March 30, 2010
Support for vulnerable students and busing are just a couple of the areas that are considered optional – and might therefore be on the chopping block – in School District 79’s budget. The breakdown of what’s considered core and what’s not was put on the table during the district’s first finance committee budget meeting last […]
March 30, 2010
BRISTOL — – Closing Bingham School, eliminating 21 full-time jobs and replacing dozens of veteran teachers with new hires will save the school system more than $1.6 million next year, Superintendent Philip Streifer told the finance board Monday night. However, that won’t be nearly enough to offset declining federal grants and state aid, soaring health […]