July 27, 2009
WASHINGTON– Public schools in New York spent $15,981 per pupil in 2007, which was more than any other state or state equivalent, according to new data released by the U.S. Census Bureau. New Jersey ($15,691) and the District of Columbia ($14,324) had the next-highest spending. States spending the least per pupil were Utah ($5,683), Idaho […]
July 22, 2009
ALBANY — New York State and New York City officials agreed this week to repay the federal government for more than half a billion dollars in improper Medicaid claims, averting a potential court battle but adding more red ink to the state’s and city’s finances. The agreement also means that the whistleblower who reported the […]
July 21, 2009
COLUMBUS — Parents of more than 250,000 special-education students in Ohio are likely to find some welcome news in the partial settlement of a federal lawsuit that has been kicking around the courts for years. The tentative agreement reached this month outlines a more active role for the Ohio Department of Education in overseeing how […]
July 2, 2009
The Supreme Court recently ruled that a child with special needs does not have to first experience failure in a public school setting before parents can choose private special-education options. Those who are celebrating this decision (parents of children with disabilities) and those who are condemning it (public school administrators) are both overstating its likely […]
July 2, 2009
As cities and towns continue to struggle with the question of how to pay for their schools, a look at the explosion in spending on special education might be instructive. Legally and morally, children with disabilities are entitled to a "free, appropriate public education," and it’s a given that in some cases the cost of […]
July 1, 2009
Because of its size and cost, Medicaid has been called the "workhorse"of the U.S. health system. Now it’s front and center in the debate onoverhauling the U.S health system and expanding coverage to theuninsured. With 60 million enrollees, Medicaid dwarfs other insuranceprograms, including its cousin, Medicare, which covers 44 millionelderly and disabled people. Test your […]
June 23, 2009
WASHINGTON — Some governors are pushing to scale back or kill proposals to expand Medicaid to provide health-care coverage to the uninsured, raising a new challenge to President Barack Obama’s effort to overhaul the system. Medicaid, the health-care program for the poor, is funded through a c ombination of federal and state tax money. Proposals […]
June 23, 2009
Reporting from Washington — The Supreme Court strengthened the rights of parents of children with disabilities on Monday and dealt a potentially costly setback to cash-strapped public school districts across the nation. Ruling in the case of a high school boy from Oregon, the court held that his parents may obtain a full reimbursement for […]
May 29, 2009
The number of people covered by Medicaid in Colorado has risen to 457,699 – enough to fill the Pepsi Center 24 times. The total has risen by more than 9,000 people since March, and by 72,597 compared to April of last year, according to the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing. “The increase […]
December 23, 2008
Twenty-seven states have cut education because they face massive, devastating budget deficits in this recession. The combination of rising unemployment, declining consumer spending, declining asset values, and foreclosures has led to declining state revenues. And the number of people in poverty is growing, adding costs to state budgets for programs such as Medicaid and social […]