Topic: Medicaid
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If not 'sequester,' then what? Five ideas from left and right.
Few in Washington believe that "the sequester,” $85 billion in automatic spending cuts set to hit the federal budget as of March 1, is a good idea. But what's the alternative? Here are five proposals, from the right, the center, and the left, to replace the sequester. Which do you like?
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Sequester 101: What happens if $85 billion in cuts hit on March 1
The sequester is a complex concept with a tortuous history. Here are the basics on the automatic spending reductions set to kick in March 1.
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Senate freshmen: What the 14 new members bring to Capitol Hill
A freshman Senate class was sworn in Jan. 3, bringing diverse skills and experience – not to mention agendas – to the legislative body. Whether the 14 newest senators help break partisan gridlock, or refuse to work across the aisle, will be the test for the 113th Congress.Twelve were elected on Nov. 6, including three Republicans, eight Democrats, and an independent. In addition, a Republican and a Democrat were appointed to vacant seats after the election. Here is a look at the 14 and what they bring to the Senate:
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How much do you know about US entitlement programs? Take our quiz.
The push to reform entitlement programs is at the heart of debates about the future of the US budget. They include Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, unemployment benefits, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (food stamps), and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (welfare).
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Focus The Monitor's top 11 US stories of 2012
From storms to politics, the year was a wild ride. What are the most meaningful US stories of 2012? Here's the Monitor's list, in roughly chronological order.
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What federal spending should be axed? US public has its own ideas.
In recent opinion polls, the US public gives Congress a starting place to look for cuts in federal spending. Energy industries and 'earmarks' top the list, but there's more.
03/04/2011 06:13 pm -
The Monitor's View Tea party House freshmen and the real revolution
The tea party freshmen in the House have shown their muscle in the skirmish over spending cuts for this year's budget. They should redirect their zeal to a much more important battle – reforming Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.
03/01/2011 02:28 pm -
Tax VOX Is public employee compensation really causing Wisconsin's budget woes?
Either way, discussions about public employee compensation do need to be part of long-term budget fixes.
02/28/2011 11:05 am -
Robert Reich Democrats need to fight Republican shakedown
Republicans say that an overreaching government is to blame for the bad economy. Democrats need to step up and counter that message.
02/24/2011 05:05 pm -
Opinion Battle over health-care reform: vital lessons from America's founding fathers
Despite the ongoing attempts of House Republicans to kill President Obama's health-care reform law, the history of America's intense debate over ratifying the Constitution should make us optimistic about the law being accepted, improved, and implemented.
02/24/2011 11:08 am -
Why the budget deficit is so hard for Congress to shrink
Congress has less and less leeway for closing the budget deficit as outlays for entitlement programs grow.
02/22/2011 03:33 pm -
Economist Mom Cockeyed optimists and the federal budget
Will congressional Republicans and President Obama reach a budget deal this year?
02/21/2011 01:01 pm -
Monitor Breakfast Video: Backroom bipartisan talks 'positive,' says Obama budget director
Jacob Lew responded Thursday to a report that some senators are working on legislation that would trigger tax hikes and spending cuts if Congress fails to live within spending targets.
02/17/2011 03:41 pm -
Social Security needs bipartisan action, Obama says
Social Security, Medicare not addressed in president's budget proposal, even though his budget commission did tackle Social Security.
02/16/2011 07:05 am -
Smoke and mirrors in Obama's budget? Five examples of creative accounting.
President Obama's proposed $3.7 trillion dollar federal government budget works some economic magic, from disappearing programs to mystery funding sources. Here’s a look at five key head-scratchers in the 2012 budget:
02/15/2011 07:26 pm -
Obama: I didn't punt on entitlement reform in federal budget
Critics complain that President Obama's federal budget doesn't trim entitlement programs like Medicare and Medicaid. But Obama said that reform will come about through bipartisan negotiation.
02/15/2011 03:48 pm -
Does Obama budget 'win the future'? Six ways he wants to boost innovation.
The Obama budget proposal for 2012 includes significant funding increases for scientific research and science education. But some supporters of an innovation agenda say it isn't ambitious enough.
02/14/2011 06:34 pm -
Robert Reich Budget cuts pour gas on Republican flame
The coming debate over spending cuts has nothing to do with reviving the economy.
02/14/2011 03:09 pm -
The Vote Obama budget: why all the number crunching by OMB may be useless
The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) puts in hours and hours of overtime coordinating figures as it prepares the president's budget.
02/14/2011 02:30 pm -
Obama's 'have it all' budget: Can he cut, spend, and grow?
Obama's $3.7 trillion budget proposal would produce a $1.1 trillion deficit for fiscal 2012 – less than this year’s projected deficit of $1.65 trillion. Republicans, predictably, call for more spending cuts.
02/14/2011 12:49 pm -
Tax VOX If direct spending is frozen, might as well cap tax breaks, too
To reduce the deficit, tax subsidies should be thought of as spending.
02/03/2011 05:18 pm -
Health-care repeal fails in Senate: What's the next GOP target?
The Senate rejected a bid to repeal Obama's health-care law on a party-line vote Wednesday. The GOP is ratcheting up pressure on potentially vulnerable Senate Democrats in 2012.
02/02/2011 08:28 pm -
Health care reform struck down by judge
Health care reform is unconstitutional because in mandates that citizens must have insurance, judge rules.
01/31/2011 11:23 pm -
Michele Bachmann, Rand Paul, and 8 others shaking up the new Congress
With the Republican takeover of the House, the shortlist of lawmakers on the rise in both houses of Congress flips, too. Notable is the number of younger members to watch, especially those swept into prominence by the tea party surge. Because this House freshman class - 96 strong, including 87 Republicans - is the largest since 1992, those who speak for them, or claim to, have a leg up. So do those Democrats nimble enough to engage them. Here are ten to watch.
01/31/2011 02:39 pm -
The Vote Why the CBO may not believe all its own deficit projections
The CBO predicts a deficit of $1.5 trillion for 2011, but then steadily falling amounts through 2014. Good news? Not really. The CBO had to make assumptions about US policies its officials seem to have little faith will be implemented.
01/26/2011 05:23 pm -
State of the Union transcript 2011: Full text of the president's speech
State of the Union transcript 2011: President Barack Obama delivered his State of the Union address to Congress on Tuesday night. Here is the full text of the speech.
01/26/2011 01:40 pm -
Tax VOX State of the Union: what Obama didn't say
State of the Union speech disappoints policymakers.
01/26/2011 08:31 am -
Obama's State of the Union long on US greatness, short on austerity
President Obama called on America to maintain greatness through innovation. In his State of the Union address Tuesday, he also proposed cuts in defense and a partial budget freeze.
01/26/2011 08:28 am -
Obama State of the Union 2011: US must 'win the future' through innovation
In the Obama State of the Union 2011 address Tuesday, the president says innovation and education should be at the center of efforts to strengthen the American economy.
01/26/2011 12:25 am -
What Obama needs to achieve in his State of the Union address
The State of the Union address is expected to lay out five ‘pillars’ for ‘winning the future’ – education, infrastructure, innovation, deficit reduction, and reform of government.
01/25/2011 05:36 pm
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