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?
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.
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:
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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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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Health-care reform in GOP cross hairs

Republicans plan an all-out assault on the new health-care reform law, which they see as the biggest symbol of over-reach by Democrats. President Obama's veto pen is the first defense.
Opinion: Will GOP really take on Big Government -- and Obama's straw-man attacks?

The problem for Republicans after Tuesday’s election is that Americans are opposed to Big Government, but only at a high level of abstraction. Translating that general sentiment into specific program cuts that are popular, or even tolerated, is the hard part.
The Monitor's View: Midterm election shellacking: Obama must adjust

Obama got a shellacking in this midterm election. As Bill Clinton did, he must now change course by taking smaller steps and reaching toward the middle.
Diane Denish loses to GOP's Susana Martinez in NM gov race

Diane Denish was defeated by Republican Susana Martinez who got 54 percent of the vote Tuesday night, according to unofficial returns. She was the first woman to be elected New Mexico's governor.
Opinion: Careful what you wish for: What GOP victories would really mean for America

From Republicans' blocking unemployment insurance and healthcare for children to protecting the oil industry and cutting Medicare – do Americans really know what they’re getting?
Alex Sink cheats in Florida debate. Will it matter?

During a commercial break in a debate with Florida gubernatorial candidate Rick Scott Monday night, Democrat Alex Sink received a text message from an aide. The 'foul' may be a touchstone for some voters.
Gubernatorial hopefuls Rick Scott and Alex Sink hurl mud in last debate

Florida gubernatorial hopefuls Rick Scott and Alex Sink spent most of their Monday night debate hurling insults at one another.
The Monitor's View: British budget cuts: two big lessons for America

Only time will show whether severe budget cuts in Britain are too deep for that fragile economy to sustain. Even so, the political will to cut spending and the readiness to sacrifice sacred cows stand out as examples for America.
Is the US system rigged for the rich?

While the poor get social programs worth $365 billion, the rich get more. Subsidies to help the prosperous build wealth added up to $384 billion last year.
Americans split over public education for illegal immigrants, poll shows

Few favor government benefits for illegal immigrants, a Monitor/TIPP poll shows. Less than half back admitting them to public schools.
Q&A with Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius

At a Sept. 30 Monitor breakfast, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius discussed progress in implementing the Affordable Care Act, misinformation about health-care reform, and the dangers of anonymous campaign cash.
Is Joe Miller too 'tea party' for Alaska?

Joe Miller, the 'tea party'-backed Republican candidate for Senate in Alaska, is trying to turn traditional Alaska politics on its head. It might not work.
Health-care reform: US judge allows Florida's challenge to Obama

Saying opponents of President Obama's health care reform law 'have most definitely stated a plausible claim,' a federal judge in Florida allows the key elements of the lawsuit to proceed.
California's budget crisis: What happens when the pixie dust runs out?

California has balanced its budget by including lots of hoped-for revenues and delayed payments and other tricks that only postpone the inevitable.
Obama the 'small spender'? Not if you can count.

Paul Krugman touts President Obama as a 'small spender,' but he has raised core federal spending by 2 percent ($500 billion).
A credible plan to cut the budget deficit

The plan, which includes a spending cap and carbon tax, would cut the budget deficit to less than 1 percent of GDP by 2020.
How New York would look if Carl Paladino made his budget cuts

New York Republican gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino says he expects to remove $14 billion from the state budget over the next two years if elected. Observers say such ambitious plans are hard to deliver.
Opinion: Paul Ryan: Can the GOP leader make fiscal responsibility sexy for the iPod generation?

The growing burdens of Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Seurity are threatening my generation’s future. But Republican Rep. Paul Ryan’s bold plan for entitlement reform leads the way out. Young people just need to follow. As Ryan told me, “It’s their future.”
Republican 'Pledge': slightly smaller government and much bigger deficits

The Republican 'Pledge to America' offers vague promises and zero fiscal responsibility.
Top 12 terrible signs that the recession isn't actually over

NBER recently announced that the recession ended in June, 2009. Here are 12 counter-arguments.
GOP Pledge: Life, liberty, and steak! But where are the young Americans?

The photos in the House Republicans' new Pledge to America booklet show what conservatives love about America – and reveal a huge hole in their agenda.
Tax cuts? Nice, but how would Mitch McConnell pay for them?

Tax cuts: The GOP's McConnell wants to extend the Bush-era tax cuts, but he might have to shut down half the federal government to pay for them.
America's safety net catches more and more citizens

Participation in the Supplemental Security Income program (SSI) keeps increasing, especially among people under 65.
Poverty rate climbs to 14.3 percent, 15-year high

Poverty rate: The ranks of the working-age poor climbed to the highest level since the 1960s as the recession threw millions of people out of work last year.
US adds 3.8 million more to ranks of the poor as poverty rate jumps

US poverty rate hit 14.3 percent last year, up from 13.2 percent in 2008. The jump bring the number of the poor to its highest level since 1959, five years before the Johnson-era War on Poverty.