In comparison to other nations, the United States spends more than any other nation on health care without delivering universal coverage, yet consistently delivers worse health care results for patients, according to a report [1]by the Commonwealth Fund that compared patient and physician surveys between the US and six nations (Australia, Canada, Germany, New Zealand and the United Kingdom).
In No-Vacation Nation [2], the Center for Economic and Policy Research finds that the United States is the only advanced economy that does not guarantee paid vacation or holidays to its workers- resulting in one in four U.S. workers receiving no paid vacation or paid holidays.
One out of five U.S. children lives in an immigrant family, a number that it likely to rise to 30% by 2015, according to new data [3] by the Casey Foundation which highlights state-by-state data. Eighty percent are U.S. citizens but, because of linguistic and economic isolation, often don't receive the public support they are entitled to that they need to succeed, highlighting the need for better public outreach to immigrant families.
Lower-income families saw their total debt burden increase 308 percent from 1989 to 2004, reaching a total of $481 billion in debt, according to Borrowing to Get Ahead and Behind [4] by the Brookings Institution. This explosion in debt reflects both positive expansions of credit opportunities for families historically denied credit, but also predatory companies exploiting "information asymmetries" that has left such families with more debt than they can afford.
A new report, Why a Future for the Nuclear Industry is Risky [5], backed by investor advocates and environmental organizations, emphasizes that a revived nuclear power industry is NOT the answer to our energy needs, since despite massive federal subsidies, neither the safety of new nuclear plants nor their economic viability can be guaranteed.
In a report on Pre-Kindergarten in the South [6], the Southern Education Fund finds that while Southern states generally rank at the bottom for education, income and well-being, they actually lead the nation in pre-K programs, with twice the rate (19%) of three- and four-year olds in state-funded pre-K and some of the highest standards for pre-K in the nation. While this is a strategic advantage for these states, the report argues they need to build on it with stronger overall follow-up public school support.