2.5 million young adults added to insurance rolls

The Obama administration announced recently that 2.5 million young adults have gained health insurance since the health reform law went into effect. The administration credits the health law provision that allows children to stay on their family’s health care…

Congress skirmishes over unemployment benefits

Partisan bickering over unemployment benefits and the payroll tax cut continued last week. At stake are nearly 2 million people whose benefits would be cut off in January if extended unemployment benefits are not renewed this year.

Both long-term unemployment…

How to understand the federal budget talk

The congressional “super committee” is nearing a decision on how to cut more than $1 trillion from federal spending, and next year’s appropriations process is trying to address the budget deficit as well. There is general agreement that some sacrifices…

How SSI benefits help children and families

Today a U.S. House committee holds a hearing about Supplemental Security Income (SSI), a vital part of Social Security that helps protect 1.3 million children from deprivation. SSI is a benefit paid for the disabled, blind and elderly with low-income…

Investing in high-poverty schools is investing in America’s children

Did you know that more than 17 percent of elementary school students attend a high-poverty school? It’s a nationwide problem, and one that’s much more serious for kids of color: 45 percent of Hispanic and 44 percent of Black elementary…

Washington Post on “compassionate debt reduction”

The Washington Post points out in a recent op-ed how fitting it is that the first day of the debt reduction commission talks was on the day that new Census data showed that more than one in five children…

President Obama’s deficit plan welcomed by child advocates

Today President Obama’s released a plan to tackle the nation’s deficit, and child advocates have plenty to be happy about. That’s because the Obama administration is telling Congress to get serious about shared sacrifice in balancing the budget, insisting that…

Contagion: Not Just a Movie

Although the movie Contagion now tops the box office, our friends at Family Values @ Work have been at work on their movie tracing the roots of how epidemics spread. Their video, embedded below, urges companies to allow paid…

As millions remain jobless, food aid increasingly important

President Obama tonight will give an address to Congress on the economy, particularly employment. The jobs picture certainly is dismal, as unemployment remains around 9 percent nationwide. See how the number of Americans on food stamps has shot up…

NYT: “Families Feel Sharp Edge of State Budget Cuts”

The New York Times today reports on the increasingly difficult struggle needy families face as state governments try to trim budgets. With unemployment still hovering around 9 percent, families nationwide are depending on government assistance to help weather the storm.…