I. The Medicaid Expansion Effect
"In the 37 states that have decided to take part, Medicaid coverage is open to everyone living at or below 138 percent of the federal poverty line. By March of 2018, nearly 672,000 more people were enrolled in Kentucky's Medicaid program, and Children's Health Insurance program than in 2103, most of them thanks to the expansion -- a more than 110 percent increase." [1]
"In 2018, voters in Idaho, Nebraska, and Utah approved ballot measures to expand Medicaid in their states. "Medicaid expansion has had a number of dramatic effects: one study found that it saved at least 19,200 lives from 2014 to 2017. It has increased insurance coverage, given people better coverage, given people better access to medical care, improved health, and preserved recipient's finances. Extrapolating from this research, political scientist Jake Haselente, and Jamila Michever, assistant professor of government at Cornell University, wrote a memo estimating that if the states that have refused to expand Medicaid decided to reverse course, about 1.3 million more people would vote."
"Over the last two decades, enrollment in Medicaid has more than doubled. Seventy percent of Americans now either have personal experience with Medicaid or know someone who does. Indeed, 60 percent of Americans now say it's the government's responsibility to make sure Americans have health coverage -- the highest share in a decade."
II. SNAP Cutbacks
"In early December, the Trump administration announced that the first of these changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Program (SNAP) will kick in [this coming] spring, when nearly 700,000 people will lose their SNAP benefits. If the administration goes ahead with other proposed changes -- such as removing from the rolls those with household savings or assets [over a certain amount] -- millions more will have their benefits slashed or withdrawn entirely. And nearly 1 million children will lose automatic access to free or low-cost lunches." "In a country as wealthy as the United States, the government accepts that many workers will receive paychecks so puny that the state will have to step in to help these families avoid hunger. [2]
"Last year, nearly a quarter of all adults went without medical care because they couldn't pay for it. Over 30 percent of private-sector workers don't have access to retirement benefits through their jobs." [3]
III. Striking Facts
"[But] workers have clearly continued [2018's] trend on insisting that they deserve a share of the spoils from the longest US economic expansion on record. More workers went on strike [in 2018] -- 485,200 of them -- then at anytime since 1986." "For one thing, wages have barely budged, increasing just 3 percent in [2019] -- far less than would have been expected with so many earning less than $18,000 at the median." [4]
IV. A Mixed Message on Afghan Peace
"The combination of notions Trump floated is a deal breaker for the militants who have been waging war against the Afghan government and foreign troops for nearly two decades. For starters, the Taliban aren't laying down their weapons before brokering a full withdrawal of U.S. troops. So it's hard to say who Trump was trying to reach with those new messages. In their delivery, he muddied his 2019 State of the Union pledge to end U.S. involvement in 'endless wars.' " [5]
"Current and former Afghan officials briefed on the leaders' conversations during Trump's visit said Trump promised the Afghan government a greater say in future discussions, an idea that the Taliban have long rejected."
ADDENDUMS:
*Corporations paid an average federal tax of 1.3% of their profits last year, according to a report from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. 91 corporations in the Fortune 500 paid no federal tax. These 91 corporations earned a combined $101 billion in [2018]. Amazon got a tax rebate of $129 million.
*"But until paroling becomes a professional discipline, release decision will continue to be disproportionally influenced by public approval, rather than by the letter of the law. Board appointees are far too concerned about the effect of public opinion on their job security and political image." [6]
*Suggested opening offers for dealing with North Korea: 1) Offer partial sanctions relief; 2) Declare the end of the Korean War, and 3) Open a liaison office in Pyongyang.
Footnotes:
[1] Bryce Covert, "The Medicaid Expansion Effect," The Nation, December 30, 2019/January 6, 2020.
[2] Sasha Abramsky, "Trump's Hunger Games," The Nation," December 30, 2019/January 6, 2020.
[3] Bryce Covert, "Striking Facts," The Nation, December 16/23, 2019.
[4] Ibid.
[5] Kimberly Dozier, "A mixed message on Afghan peace," TIME, December 16, 2019.
[6] Barbara Henson Treen, a letter writer in the December 13, 2019 issue of The New Yorker.
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