The California Budget Project (CBP) released a report [1], Hard Work and a Fair Shot, that details policies that help low-income working families make ends meet. Another CBP report [2] intended to help guide California lawmakers as they pursue universal health care reform lays out what families can truly afford for health care when all needs that consume family resources are considered. The report found that families with incomes below 200% of poverty will not be able to contribute anything to their health care and that even many families above 300% of poverty will need partial subsidies to afford care.
The Institute for Energy and Environmental Research released Carbon-Free and Nuclear-Free [3], which finds that a zero carbon dioxide U.S. economy can be achieved in the next thirty to fifty years without the use of nuclear power and without acquiring carbon credits from other countries. The study also points out that the technology to eliminate CO2 emissions from the energy sector already exists, or is within the foreseeable future.
A new report from the National Governor's Association [4] highlights the many ways states are leading on health care reform, discussing plans that are advancing across the country.
A Families USA report analyzes
retail
health clinics [5] that are multiplying across the country in stores like
Wal-Mart, Target and CVS. While the clinics provide easy and relatively
cheap
care for common ailments like the flu, bronchitis or ear infections, they
should not be considered a replacement for the doctor-patient
relationship found in a primary care setting or medical home.
Please email us [6] leads on good research at research@progressivestates.org [6]