LATEST WORK
Child Protective Services in Texas: Buying What We Want
February 2, 2012
We want our child protective services (CPS) system to keep children safe at home whenever possible—it’s better for the child and cheaper for the state and federal government. The reality, however, is that Texas (and every other state) spends most of its CPS budget on foster care and adoption. This report discusses why this disconnect exists and recommends ways to better align what we want with what we buy
Comments: Essential Health Benefits Are Critical Component of Health Reform
February 1, 2012
The center along with nine other Texas consumer groups submitted comments to U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to offer ways in which HHS’ approach to essential health benefits can be strengthened and improved to support access to quality, affordable health care for all Texans.
One in Two Texans Has Almost No “Rainy Day” Savings to Bank On
January 31, 2012
In Texas today, 27.7 percent of households are “asset poor,” meaning they have little or no financial cushion to rely on if unemployment or another emergency leads to a loss of income, according to a report from the national nonprofit Corporation for Enterprise Development (CFED). Excluding important assets such as a vehicle or home, the (liquid) asset poverty rate increases to 50.6 percent of Texas residents.
New Report on School Breakfast Shows Texas Outperforms Most States; Houston ISD Ranks 3rd Among America’s Big Cities
January 30, 2012
Two new national reports on the National School Breakfast Program demonstrate Texas’ strong commitment to improving the nutrition, health, and academic achievement of its students by providing them a nutritious start to the school day.
Congress Should Continue Emergency UI, Forget Phony Reforms
January 29, 2012
Unemployment insurance (UI) is a critical piece of ensuring financial stability for families and economic recovery for communities during times of high joblessness. Over the next several days, Congress will debate whether to continue emergency unemployment insurance benefits through 2012 as well as various changes to the program. Even as the unemployment rate continues to improve, it will take several years of strong job growth to return to pre-recession employment levels. There are too few jobs available for the number of job seekers, with more than four workers per job opening. Since the federal UI extensions began in Texas in 2008, Texans have made more than two million federal unemployment claims, totaling well over $9 billion. These dollars have protected families and generated demand for goods and services, helping maintain jobs. Cutting off UI abruptly will devastate families and undermine communities. Emergency UI will automatically phase out as the economy improves and the unemployment rate drops. In the meantime, Congress should continue UI through 2012 and reject phony reforms proposed in the House that would allow states to lower benefit amounts, use UI revenues for other programs, and deny UI to workers.
Consumer Groups Applaud Federal Rejection of Texas Effort to Delay Health Reform Consumer Protection
January 27, 2012
Federal officials today rejected the Texas Department of Insurance’s (TDI’s) request to delay full implementation of a new rule that requires insurers to increase the value of health insurance or provide rebates to policyholders.
Texas Jobs Snapshot for December: Strong Job Growth, Unemployment Down
January 26, 2012
Texas’ showed strong job growth in December 2011 as the unemployment rate dropped to 7.8 percent down from 8.1 percent in November.
Essential Health Benefits in Texas
January 25, 2012
On December 16, 2011, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a bulletin describing its proposed approach to defining the “essential health benefits” under the Affordable Care Act (ACA, commonly referred to as national health reform). Starting in 2014, the essential health benefits (EHB) will serve as a floor for the package of health care services that must be covered in many health insurance policies. The ACA establishes some parameters for EHB, but HHS’ recent bulletin leaves it up to the states to define EHB within the federal framework. HHS is accepting public comment on its EHB approach through January 31, 2012, via EssentialHealthBenefits@cms.hhs.gov. This Policy Page explains EHB, reviews Texas’ options, and discusses what we still do not know about minimum standards for coverage in 2014.
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