Government
Updated: A CBO Estimate of the Direct Spending and Revenue Effects of the Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017, a Senate Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute to H.R. 1628
The Senate bill would increase the number of people who are uninsured by 22 million in 2026 relative to the number under current law, slightly fewer than the increase in the number of uninsured estimated for the House-passed legislation. By 2026, an estimated 49 million people would be uninsured, compared with 28 million who would lack insurance that year under current law. more »
Using Special Nails to Save Roofs — and Dollars; "People are waking up and looking at sheetrock in their house instead of the sky"
New roofs are coming to Africatown, a hamlet of crumbling shotgun houses amid ancient pecan trees northwest of Mobile Bay. The replacements, many of which will go to the neighborhood’s poor and aging homeowners, are being paid for by a first-of-its-kind state grant program that aims to lower homeowners' insurance rates and reinforce Alabama homes against future windstorms. Alabama officials, like state and local leaders around the country, expect disaster recovery costs to continue to grow as people live in vulnerable areas and climate change increases the frequency and intensity of natural disasters. more »
Compare Proposals to Replace The Affordable Care Act: The Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017 vs. The American Health Care Act, as passed by the House May 4, 2017
Editor's Note: We're including a paragraph from The New York Times' coverage of the new bill: "Older people could be disproportionately hurt because they pay more for insurance in general. Both chambers' bills would allow insurers to charge older people five times as much as younger ones; the limit now is three times." The Kaiser FamilyFoundation (not connected to Kaiser Permanente) has compared the two recent plans offered up by the Republican leadership. more »
Assessing Russian Activities and Intentions in Recent US Elections: With illicit access, manipulation of voter data or disruptions to their availability may impact a voter’s ability to vote on Election Day
"Assessing Russian Activities and Intentions in Recent US Elections," captured our assessment of the Russian activity, identifying that “Russian intelligence obtained and maintained access to elements of multiple U.S. state or local electoral boards.” Additionally, "DHS assesse[d] that the types of systems Russian actors targeted or compromised were not involved in vote tallying." more »
