tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13474330Fri, 24 Jul 2026 06:03:02 +0000federalstateshealthgaoeducationhawaiicrstechnologypoliticscboenvironmentinterneteconomylibraryretirementenergyyouthemploymentchildrengovernmenthousinglegislationlrbnclbmediaseniorstransportationartsbusinesscrimeprivacysciencesocial securitytobaccovotingcitiesconconfinancetaxaviationdrugsemergencyethanolmarine lifepublic policysecuritywildlifeyoutubeRGGIalcoholclimatecomputinggreen buildingshomelesshumanitieshungerpublic accessrecreationsame-sex marriagestate constitutionsustainabilitywaterwomenactivismadult servicesbiotechnologycampaign financeconservationcourtsdemographicsdisabilitygamblinggunshandbookshuman rightshuman servicesinsurancejusticeland usemilitarynonprofitspopulationpublic contractspublic employeespunishmentsearch strategiestelevisiontsunamiveteranswageswasteFirst Reading - Hawaii LRB Librarytrends, issues, and resources of interest to the Hawaii legislative community
<br>hawaii legislative reference bureau librarynoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)Blogger643125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13474330.post-4014475769376880964Thu, 13 Jan 2011 01:04:00 +00002011-01-12T15:11:46.173-10:00demographicshomelessstatesState of Homelessness in America 2011<div class="separator" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><a href=" border="0" src="; /></a></div><br />
The <a href=" Alliance to End Homeless</a> has released a new report which "reveals national and state level homeless counts, but also delves into economic indicators and demographic drivers." Selected key findings include:<br />
<ul><blockquote>
<li>The nation’s homeless population increased by approximately 20,000 people from 2008 to 2009 (3 percent increase).</li>
<li>A majority – 31 of 50 states (including Hawaii) and the District of Columbia - had increases in their homeless counts.</li>
<li>The largest percentage increase was in the number of family households.</li>
<li>Nearly 4 in 10 {homeless} were living on the street, in a car, or in another place not intended for human habitation.</li>
</blockquote></ul><p style="color: black; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href=" of Homelessness in America</a> (available as PDF, 48 pp, 5 MB) by M William Sermons and Peter Witte</span></p>2011/01/state-of-homelessness-in-america-2011.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13474330.post-7662181092034060995Mon, 13 Dec 2010 23:46:00 +00002010-12-13T14:11:25.536-10:00climatescienceNeed For Actions to Reduce and Adapt<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href=" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 74px;" src="; border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550320474548947154" /></a><br />America's Climate Choices, a series of congressionally-mandated studies, emphasizes why the U.S. should act now to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and develop a national strategy to adapt to the inevitable impacts of climate change. Available to read online or purchase PDF or print copies:<ul> <br /><br /><li><a href=" the Science of Climate Change</a></li><br /><li><a href=" the Magnitude of Climate Change</a></li><br /><li><a href=" to the Impacts of Climate Change</a></li><br /><li><a href=" an Effective Response to Climate Change</a></li><br /></ul><br /><br />Watch video, <a href=" Climate Choices Series</a>2010/12/need-for-actions-to-reduce-and-adapt.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13474330.post-2975774093267316937Wed, 25 Aug 2010 02:37:00 +00002010-08-24T16:52:55.108-10:00retirementDon't raise SS retirement age<a href=" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;width: 170px; height: 91px;" src="; border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509166764800986930" /></a>In a Fact Sheet issued today, the Economic Policy Institute (<a href=";) gives ten reasons <span style="font-style:italic;">not</span> to raise the retirement age for Social Security. Among them:<ul><li>Raising the retirement age is a benefit cut, and benefits are already too low.</li><li>It cuts benefits for all retirees, whether they retire at age 62, age 70, or any other age—and it is a cut for retired workers’ spouses, widows, and dependents, as well.</li><li>Social Security’s problem is not that people are living longer.</li><li>The biggest financial problem facing Social Security is rising income inequality, which cannot be addressed by raising the retirement age.</li><li>The shortfall can be reduced without cutting benefits. Taxes should be raised on the highest earners, who pay a much lower share of their income in Social Security taxes.</li></ul><br /><a href=" Ten Reasons <span style="font-style:italic;">Not</span> to Raise the Retirement Age</a> (pdf, 2pp/76kB), Aug. 24, 20102010/08/dont-raise-ss-retirement-age.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13474330.post-6336614358835063908Wed, 18 Aug 2010 01:31:00 +00002010-08-17T22:14:31.107-10:00gaohealthMore on CDHPs<a href=" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 5px; float: right;" src="; alt="" border="0" /></a>Last week <span style="font-weight:bold;"><span style="font-style:italic;">FR</span></span> published a <a href="2010/08/consumer-driven-health-plans.html">post</a> on consumer-driven health plans (CDHPs). Yesterday, the Government Accountability Office (<a href=";) released a July study on CDHPs, specifically health reimbursement arrangements (<a href=";). Analyzing data from two large employers--one public and one private--and several published studies, GAO compared enrollees in HRAs with those in preferred provider organization (PPO) plans. Generally, spending and utilization of health care services were less for HRA enrollees than for those who remained in PPOs. <br /> <br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">CONSUMER-DIRECTED HEALTH PLANS: Health Status, Spending, and Utilization of Enrollees in Plans Based on Health Reimbursement Arrangements</span>, <a href="; (pdf, 47pp/504kB), July 16, 20102010/08/cdhps-cont.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13474330.post-2107311365187060228Fri, 13 Aug 2010 21:14:00 +00002010-08-13T11:26:23.483-10:00internetDigital lending library<a href=" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 130px; height: 75px;" src="; border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504641550967341538" /></a>The <a href=" Archive</a>, a nonprofit based in San Francisco, was founded in 1996 "to build an Internet library." According to its website, its collections now include "texts, audio, moving images, and software as well as archived web pages." It recently launched a project called <a href=";, a collaboration of libraries providing e-books to check out. Read about how it works on the Internet Archive's <a href=" Lending Library</a> page. <br /><br />Currently available at OpenLibrary.org:<ul><li>More than one million digital versions of older books are now available for free download in a variety of formats.</li><li>Over 70,000 current digital books to those with a library card from many of the over 11,000 libraries that subscribe to the OverDrive service.</li><li>Genealogical books from the Boston Public Library.</li><li>How-to and technical book collection via the Internet Archive.</li><li>Marine life reference materials from the Marine Biological Laboratory and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Woods Hole, Massachusetts.</li><li>Spanish texts from Universidad Francisco Marroquín in Guatemala.</li></ul>2010/08/digital-lending-library.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13474330.post-8276106984798114544Tue, 10 Aug 2010 03:15:00 +00002010-08-09T17:18:39.646-10:00healthConsumer-driven health plans<a href=" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px; width: 130px; height: 166px;" src="; border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503591603611331714" /></a>Consumer-driven health plans are offered by self-insured employers and administered by a third-party. They include health reimbursement arrangements (<a href=";) and health savings accounts (<a href=";). The Employee Benefit Research Institute (<a href=";) reviews CDHPs in its August Issue Brief. Among its findings: about 19 million, or 11% of those with private insurance, were enrolled in a CDHP in 2009; and premiums were generally lower than for non-CDHPs. The paper discusses the impact of CDHPs on health care services such as preventive care, enrollee knowledge of cost sharing, medication adherence, emergency room use, quality of care received, and employer contributions. <br /><br />(In June, EBRI reported on financial aspects of HSAs and HRAs, see <span style="font-weight:bold;"><span style="font-style:italic;">FR</span></span> <a href="2010/06/hsas-hras.html">post</a>.) <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">What Do We Really Know About Consumer-Driven Health Plans?</span>, August 2010<br /> <a href=" Brief</a> (28pp/587kB)<br /> <a href=" Summary</a>2010/08/consumer-driven-health-plans.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13474330.post-8597659203334781841Fri, 06 Aug 2010 02:07:00 +00002010-08-05T19:49:16.738-10:00healthLong-term care generosity index<a href=" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;width: 135px; height: 180px;" src="; border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501350055778127858" /></a>According to a report issued this week by the <a href=" Institute of Government</a> on Medicaid and long-term care, states vary widely in their coverage of eligible populations, the amount, duration, and scope of services, the amount of care that is covered, and their administrative processes. Finding that there is no standard definition or a way to measure key dimensions of long-term care, the report predicates, "Perhaps the most straightforward measure of state long-term care policy is the generosity of its coverage of both populations and services." <br /><br />To measure generosity, compiling a "Long-Term Care Policy Generosity Index," the authors looked at coverage and service policies for each state in 2004 for 8 major categories of long-term care--home health, hospice, personal care, private duty nurse, intermediate care facility/mental health, inpatient psychiatric care, intermediate care/mental retardation, and nursing home--and ranked states accordingly. New York came in first; <span style="font-weight:bold;">Hawaii</span> ranked 48th. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Medicaid Policy and Long-Term Care Spending: An Interactive View</span><br /> <a href="; (pdf, 20pp/224kB), August 2010<br /> <a href=" release</a>, Aug. 3, 20102010/08/long-term-care-generosity-index.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13474330.post-3397576472243062242Fri, 30 Jul 2010 02:07:00 +00002010-07-29T16:38:05.785-10:00federalinternetCloud in government<a href=" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;width: 130px; height: 166px;" src="; border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499495477669114226" /></a>In April <a href=" West</a>, Director of <a href=" Governance Studies</a>, authored a report on how cloud computing could cut costs for the federal government (see <span style="font-weight:bold;"><span style="font-style:italic;">FR</span></span> <a href="2010/04/cloud-save.html">post</a>). In the first paper of a series launched by the <a href=" for Technology Innovation</a> at Brookings last week, West reviews current federal IT policy and discusses rules, practices, and procedures that limit innovation. Among his recommendations:<ul><li>Public officials should develop more consistent rules on computing across desktop, laptop, mobile, and cloud platforms.</li><li>The use of video, collaboration, and social networking should be authorized for congressional offices. This would make legislative branch policy consistent with that of the executive branch.</li><li>Judicial branch computing should be modernized, with greater emphasis on cloud computing.</li><li>There should be a more uniform certification process for federal agencies.</li><li>Privacy rights should be placed on the same footing regardless of whether a person is using desktop or cloud computing.</li></ul><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Steps to Improve Cloud Computing in the Public Sector</span>, July 21, 2010<br /> <a href="; (pdf, 13pp/255kB)<br /> <a href=" Summary</a>2010/07/cloud-in-government.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13474330.post-2016702428945121664Wed, 28 Jul 2010 20:24:00 +00002010-07-28T10:49:28.069-10:00educationJust in ... on education<a href=" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;width: 110px; height: 165px;" src="; border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498768480702982898" /></a>In <span style="font-weight:bold;">The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice Are Undermining Education</span>, <a href=" Ravitch</a>, Research Professor of Education at New York University (<a href=";), critiques current conventional wisdom about the American educational system. She herself has changed positions on what she previously advocated for reform. Her prescriptions for improving our schools:<ul><li>Leave decisions about schools to educators, not politicians or businessmen</li><li>Devise a truly national curriculum that sets out what children in every grade should be <span style="font-style:italic;">learning</span></li><li>Expect charter schools to educate the kids who need help the most, not to compete with public schools</li><li>Pay teachers a fair wage for their work, not "merit pay" based on deeply flawed and unreliable test scores</li><li>Encourage family involvement in education from an early age</li></ul>Some chapter titles: - Hijacked! How the Standards Movement Turned Into the Testing Movement. - NCLB: Measure and Punish. - Choice: The Story of an Idea. - The Trouble with Accountability.<br /> <br />LA217.2 R38 2009<br />283 pp.<br />ISBN-10: 0465014917<br />ISBN-13: 978-04650149102010/07/just-in-on-education.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13474330.post-2411276048114319053Sat, 24 Jul 2010 02:41:00 +00002010-07-23T23:04:06.259-10:00seniorsSeniors: help for financial decisions<a href=" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px; width: 225px; height: 82px;" src="; border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478356642679564114" /></a>Noting that most retirees have acquired significant assets as well as debts, and that cognitive decline afflicts older adults, the <a href="; Center for Retirement Research</a> at <a href=" College</a> in a recent brief discusses four policy responses to help seniors make effective financial decisions. The paper lists them from least to most paternalistic:<ul><li><span style="font-weight:bold;">Disclosure</span>. "Legislation to strengthen disclosure requirements has recently been introduced in many different domains....However, we are skeptical that improved disclosure will be effective in improving financial choices."</li><li><span style="font-weight:bold;">Financial "Driving Licenses."</span> "...require that individuals pass a 'license' test before being allowed to make nontrivial financial decisions, such as opting out of 'safe harbor' investment products. Such proposals would need to overcome several logistical problems."</li><li><span style="font-weight:bold;">Mandatory Advance Directives</span>. "...require older adults to put in place a financial advance directive before reaching a certain age so that the management of their assets could be transferred to a third party in the event of their incapacity."</li><li><span style="font-weight:bold;">Regulatory Approval</span>. "Instead of primarily targeting individual investors, regulations could instead target the financial products themselves."</li></ul><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">What Is the Age of Reason?</span> July 2010<br /> <a href="; (pdf, 8pp/249kB)<br /> <a href=";2010/07/seniors-help-for-financial-decisions.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13474330.post-4869978080803811302Fri, 23 Jul 2010 02:21:00 +00002010-07-22T16:42:14.714-10:00economyemploymentCreating jobs<a href=" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;width: 135px; height: 155px;" src="; border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496897819085811682" /></a>With the U.S. facing its worst recession in the post-WWII era, <a href=" Galston</a> of <a href=" Governance Studies</a> has presented an agenda that "would demand both elected officials and their constituents to subordinate other objectives, however worthy, to the overriding objective of restarting the engine of economic growth and sustaining robust job creation." His proposed policies:<ul><li>Pro-growth tax reform</li><li>Public incentives for larger private capital investments in public infrastructure</li><li>Conditional revenue-sharing by the federal government</li><li>Jump-starting the stalled trade treaty agenda</li><li>Pro-growth regulatory policy</li><li>Facilitating immigrants with advanced education, critical skills, or entrepreneurial capacity to enter and remain in the U.S.</li><li>Reducing student dropouts and using community colleges to provide skills for future jobs</li></ul> <br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Priority No. 1: Creating an Agenda to Spur Job-Creating Economic Growth</span>, July 20, 2010, <a href="; (6pp/291kB), <a href=";2010/07/creating-jobs.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13474330.post-2036980362081058763Fri, 16 Jul 2010 21:41:00 +00002010-07-16T11:57:39.808-10:00retirementRetirement readiness<a href=" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 15px;width: 126px; height: 61px;" src="; border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325864447314606258" /></a>In its July Issue Brief, the Employee Benefit Research Institute (<a href=";) discusses the adequacy of retirement preparation, specifically the issue of retirees "at risk" of inadequate retirement income. The study uses two assessment models EBRI developed--the Retirement Security Projection Model (<a href=";) and the <a href=" Readiness Rating</a>--and examines: <ul><li>Modeling retirement income adequacy</li><li>"At risk" levels, by age and income</li><li>Future eligibility in a defined contribution plan</li><li>Running short of money</li><li>Additional savings needed</li></ul>EBRI divides the "at risk" population into three age cohorts: Early Boomers (born between 1948–1954, now ages 56–62); Late Boomers (born between 1955–1964, now ages 46–55), and Generation Xers (born between 1965–1974, now ages 36–45). Among the paper's conclusions:<blockquote>The baseline 2010 Retirement Readiness Rating finds that nearly one-half (47.2 percent) of the oldest cohort (Early Baby Boomers) are simulated to be “at risk” of not having sufficient retirement resources to pay for "basic" retirement expenditures as well as uninsured health care costs. The percentage "at risk" drops for the Late Boomers (to 43.7 percent) but then increases slightly for Generation Xers to 44.5 percent.</blockquote><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">The EBRI Retirement Readiness Rating: Retirement Income Preparation and Future Prospects</span>, July 2010 <br /> <a href=" Brief</a> (pdf, 36pp/748kB)<br /> <a href=" Summary</a>2010/07/retirement-readiness.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13474330.post-6301763969685012386Tue, 13 Jul 2010 21:52:00 +00002010-07-13T21:45:16.539-10:00crsfederalinternetSpectrum policy and CongressIn March 2010 the Federal Communications Commission (<a href=";) released the National Broadband Plan (<a href=";), mandated by Congress to ensure every American has "access to broadband capability." It presented issues to be addressed by regulatory changes, FCC policies, and Congressional action. Last month the Congressional Research Service (<a href=";) published a paper discussing spectrum issues for the 111th Congress. From the Summary:<br /><blockquote>A challenge for Congress is to provide decisive policies in an environment where there are many choices but little consensus. In formulating spectrum policy, mainstream viewpoints generally diverge on whether to give priority to market economics or social goals. ...economic policy looks to harness market forces to allocate spectrum efficiently, with spectrum license auctions as the driver. Social policy favors ensuring wireless access to support a variety of social objectives where economic return is not easily quantified, such as improving education, health services, and public safety. Both approaches can stimulate economic growth and job creation. </blockquote>On legislative issues, the CRS report covers spectrum inventory, the Spectrum Relocation Improvement Act of 2009, H.R. 3019 (<a href=";, 11pp) and Spectrum Relocation Improvement Act of 2010, S. 3490 (<a href=";, 11pp), incentive auctions, and the Broadband for First Responders Act of 2010, H.R. 5081, (<a href=";, 8pp).<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Spectrum Policy in the Age of Broadband: Issues for Congress</span>, <a href="; (pdf, 36pp/324kB), June 21, 2010, from <a href=" CRS</a>2010/07/spectrum-policy-and-congress.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13474330.post-3706675521502773333Wed, 07 Jul 2010 01:17:00 +00002010-07-06T15:21:26.170-10:00cbofederalsocial securitySocial Security options<a href=" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 130px; height: 165px;" src="; border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489513304795389666" /></a><blockquote>In 2010, for the first time since the enactment of the Social Security Amendments of 1983, Social Security’s annual outlays will exceed its annual tax revenues, CBO projects. If the economy continues to recover from the recent recession, those tax revenues will again exceed outlays, but only for a few years. CBO anticipates that starting in 2016, if current laws remain in place, the program’s annual spending will regularly exceed its tax revenues, and beginning in 2039 the Social Security Administration will not be able to pay the benefits currently specified in law. If revenues were not increased by that point, benefits would need to be cut by about 20 percent to equalize outlays and revenues. (<a href=" Blog</a>)</blockquote>In light of this dire outlook, the Congressional Budget Office (<a href=";) presents policy options for Social Security in a recent study. CBO analyzes 30 options in five categories:<ul><li>Increases in the Social Security payroll tax</li><li>Reductions in people’s initial benefits</li><li>Increases in benefits for low earners</li><li>Increases in the full retirement age, and</li><li>Reductions in the cost-of-living adjustments that are applied to continuing benefits</li></ul> <br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Social Security Policy Options</span>, July 2010 <br /> <a href="; (pdf, 67pp/1.8MB)<br /> <a href="; (pdf, 4pp/148kB)<br /> <a href=" Blog</a>, July 1, 20102010/07/social-security-options.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13474330.post-4353606442489288496Wed, 30 Jun 2010 01:47:00 +00002010-06-29T16:12:03.089-10:00artstechnologyArts thru tech<a href=" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 120px; height: 150px;" src="; border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488323821088303794" /></a>The National Endowment for the Arts (<a href=";) published a report on Americans' participation in certain "benchmark" arts activities through electronic and digital media--radio, TV, CDs, DVDs, the Internet, and portable media devices. The benchmark activities surveyed: Jazz, Classical music, Opera, Musical plays, Non-musical plays, Ballet and other dance, Visual arts such as paintings, sculptures, or photography, and Programs about artists, art works, or art museums. The report is based on the 2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts (<a href=";). <br /><br />Its conclusions:<br /> <ul><li>Arts participation through media appears to encourage — rather than replace — live arts attendance.</li><li>Education shows the strongest relationship with arts participation through electronic media.</li><li>A sizeable group of Americans — particularly racial/ethnic minorities and older adults — participate in benchmark art forms solely through electronic media.</li><li>The rate of arts participation through electronic media for different racial/ethnic groups depends on the art form.</li><li>Given the relatively high rate of young adults who engage in literature through media, the overall rate of literary participation via media may increase markedly in the future.</li></ul><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Audience 2.0: How Technology Influences Arts Participation</span>, June 2010<br /> <a href="; (pdf, 146pp/2.72MB)<br /> <a href=" version</a>2010/06/arts-thru-tech.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13474330.post-7181940453095590461Thu, 24 Jun 2010 00:57:00 +00002010-06-23T14:59:39.993-10:00childrenstatesAmerica's children<a href=" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 114px; height: 147px;" src="; border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5486129471949481138" /></a>In May and June the Children's Defense Fund (<a href=";) has been publishing sections of a compilation of national and 50-state data on the nation's children. <blockquote>The report provides a statistical compendium of key child data showing alarming numbers of children at risk: the number of poor children has increased by 2.5 million since 2000 to 14.1 million, with almost half of them living in extreme poverty, and 8.1 million children lack health coverage―with both numbers likely to increase during the recession.<br /><br />According to the CDF report, children in America lag behind almost all industrialized nations on key child indicators. The United States has the unwanted distinction of being the worst among industrialized nations in relative child poverty, in the gap between rich and poor, in teen birth rates, and in child gun violence.</blockquote>The report covers: Key Facts, Child Population, Child Poverty, Family Structure, Family Income, Child Health, and Early Childhood Development. Sections to come: Education, Other Vulnerable Children and Youths, and Gun Violence. <br /><br /><a href=" State of America's Children 2010<br /></a>2010/06/americas-children.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13474330.post-27867971482476648Thu, 17 Jun 2010 02:12:00 +00002010-06-16T16:15:24.061-10:00healthRetail clinics<a href=" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;width: 120px; height: 63px;" src="; border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483548657298852642" /></a>Retail clinics are medical clinics located in pharmacies and grocery and "big box" stores. Since they first opened in 2000, they now number nearly 1200. <a href=" Health</a> conducted a study of the clinics focusing on three areas: 1. A profile of retail clinics (locations, services, and ownership); 2. Patient characteristics; and 3. Costs, quality, and preventive care delivery. Its key findings:<ul><li>Most (88 percent) U.S. retail clinics are located in major metropolitan areas, and one-third of the U.S. urban population can easily access a clinic.</li><li>Retail clinics typically serve younger adult patients who do not have a regular health care provider.</li><li>For a selected group of conditions, retail clinics deliver lower-cost care of equivalent quality compared with other settings.</li><li>Approximately one in five visits to a primary care physician and one in ten visits to an emergency department are for a problem that can be treated at a retail clinic.</li></ul><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Health Care on Aisle 7: The Growing Phenomenon of Retail Clinics</span>, <a href="; (7pp/160kB), <a href=";, June 14, 20102010/06/retail-clinics.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13474330.post-5194717287608304908Thu, 10 Jun 2010 23:31:00 +00002010-06-16T13:49:04.765-10:00businessemploymentSmall business as jobs generator<a href=" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10 10px;width: 190px; height: 110px;" src="; border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480943435189306306" /></a>The <a href=" Economic Studies</a> program issued a policy brief on the role of small business in job creation. <blockquote>As the nation strives to recover from the “Great Recession,” job creation remains one of the biggest challenges to renewed prosperity. Small businesses have been among the most powerful generators of new jobs historically, suggesting the value of a stronger focus on supporting small businesses—especially high-growth firms—and encouraging entrepreneurship. </blockquote>The paper examines the following recommendations to strengthen the small business sector:<ul><li>Improve access to public and private capital.</li><li>Reexamine corporate tax policy.</li><li>Promote education and research to train workers and spur innovation.</li><li>Rethink immigration policy.</li><li>Explore ways to foster “innovation-friendly” environments.</li><li>Strengthen government counseling programs.</li></ul><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">The Future of Small Business Entrepreneurship: Jobs Generator for the U.S. Economy</span>, <a href="; (8pp/456kB), <a href=";, June 20102010/06/small-business-as-jobs-generator.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13474330.post-5411110942682572945Sat, 05 Jun 2010 00:50:00 +00002010-06-05T00:24:53.322-10:00healthHSAs & HRAs<a href=" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 15px;width: 126px; height: 61px;" src="; border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325864447314606258" /></a>The Employee Benefit Research Institute (<a href=";) reports on Health Savings Accounts (<a href=")</a> and Health Reimbursement Arrangements (<a href=";). Employers first began offering HRAs in 2001 and HSAs in 2004. HRAs are employer-funded and reimburse workers for qualified medical expenses. An HSA is a tax-exempt trust or custodial account set up by an individual to likewise pay for certain medical expenses. EBRI states: <blockquote>The theory behind these accounts is that when individuals are given more control over funds allocated for health care services, they will spend the money more responsibly, especially once they become more educated about the actual price of health services. Furthermore, these accounts can be used as tax-advantaged vehicles to save for health care expenses in retirement.</blockquote>In 2009 these plans covered 15-19 million people, representing 9-11 percent of the privately insured market. There was $7.1 billion in 5 million accounts. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Health Savings Accounts and Health Reimbursement Arrangements: Assets, Account Balances, and Rollovers, 2006–2009</span>, June 2010<br /> <a href=" Brief</a> (pdf, 32pp/546kB)<br /> <a href=" summary</a>2010/06/hsas-hras.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13474330.post-8525155136983699296Thu, 03 Jun 2010 02:34:00 +00002010-06-02T17:42:09.308-10:00retirementsocial securitySS "notch" for '47?<a href=" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px; width: 225px; height: 82px;" src="; border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478356642679564114" /></a>In a May <span style="font-style:italic;">brief</span> the <a href="; Center for Retirement Research</a> at <a href=" College</a> reports on lower Social Security benefits for new retirees born in 1947 compared to those born in 1930-1946. This is due to an "unintended quirk" in the benefit formula, and the paper urges congressional action for adjustment. <br /><br />Since cost-of-living adjustments (<a href=";) were adopted in 1975, this is the first year of no COLA. The formula for granting COLA interacted with a spike in inflation in 2008, and those born in 1947 did not receive the 5.8 percent "windfall COLA" paid in Jan. 2009. The paper explains the term "notch" from the 1970s when beneficiaries born in 1917-1921 appeared to be at a disadvantage because of changes in SS benefit rules. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">A New Social Security 'Notch'? Bad News for People Born in 1947</span>, May 2010<br /> <a href="; (pdf, 8pp/203 kB)<br /> <a href=";2010/06/ss-notch-for-47s.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13474330.post-5409144939841207296Fri, 28 May 2010 23:11:00 +00002010-06-04T14:57:18.949-10:00public employeesstatesWage penalty in the public sector<a href=" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;width: 190px; height: 49px;" src="; border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476451232461939122" /></a>With the recession, state and local government budgets have been buffeted by lower tax revenues and higher demand for social services. In a paper from the Center for Economic and Policy Research (<a href=";), economist <a href=" Schmitt</a> responds to arguments that "excessive pay for public employees is the real cause of the financial woes."<br /><br />Schmitt found three important differences between state-local and private workforces:<ol><li>State and local employees are substantially better educated than workers in the private sector--over half of state and local employees have a four-year college degree or more, compared to about 30 percent in the private sector.</li><li>State and local employees are about four years older than private-sector workers.</li><li> Sixty percent of state and local workers are women compared to less than half of private sector worker.</li></ol>When the two sectors are compared, especially when matched by age and education, public workers earn 4 percent less on average. <br /><br />According to 50-state charts in the report measuring state and local public employees, ages 18-64 in 2009, <span style="font-weight:bold;">Hawaii</span> has 70,742 such employees (55,725 state and 14,747 local) comprising 13.8 percent of all employees.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">The Wage Penalty for State and Local Government Employees </span> (<a href=";, 20pp/257kB), May 2010<br /> <a href=" Release</a>, May 12, 2010<br /><br />Related Issue Brief: <a href=" Benefits of State and Local Government Employees </a> (pdf, 2pp/78kB), May 20102010/05/wage-penalty-in-public-sector.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13474330.post-8295694443681510312Wed, 26 May 2010 21:57:00 +00002010-05-26T12:07:00.152-10:00crsemergencyfederalSafer SAFERThe Congressional Research Service (<a href=";) reported on the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (<a href=";) Act that was enacted in 2003 in response to concerns about the adequacy of firefighter staffing. SAFER is administered by <a href="; and is up for reauthorization.<blockquote>The SAFER Act authorizes grants to career, volunteer, and combination local fire departments for the purpose of increasing the number of firefighters to help communities meet industry-minimum standards and attain 24-hour staffing to provide adequate protection from fire and fire-related hazards. Also authorized are grants to volunteer fire departments for activities related to the recruitment and retention of volunteers.</blockquote>With the economic downturn and local fire departments' budgetary problems, Congress is considering easing restrictions to enable more participation in the program. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Hawaii</span> received its first SAFER grant of $1.6 million in FY2008.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response: The SAFER Grant Program</span>, <a href="; (pdf, 13pp/176kB), from <a href=" CRS</a>, April 30, 20102010/05/safer-safer.html