Mississippi Could Be Hit Hard In Debt Limit Deal

Ms. Economic Policy Center - 8/22/11

The large federal spending cuts prescribed in the recent debt limit deal from Congress will mean more cuts for state budgets as well–resulting in more jobs lost in state and local economies. If the supercommittee, the group tasked with finding the cuts prescribed, decides to include Medicaid in the spending cuts, Mississippi will be hit especially hard.  Mississippi receives the largest federal Medicaid match rate—meaning it relies on federal funding for a larger percentage of Medicaid funding than any other state.

Mississippi came in 50th overall in Annie E. Casey Foundation's state-state Kids Count rankings

Hattiesburg American - 8/18/2011

For the 13th year in a row, Mississippi has come in 50th overall in a state-by-state ranking of measures of a child's well-being. The Annie E. Casey Foundation looked at 10 economic indicators that affect the welfare of children in its annual Kids Count report, released this week. Mississippi ranked 50th on seven of 10 of the indicators. The report's results are primarily based on data from 2007 to 2009. Linda Southward, director of Mississippi Kids Count in Jackson, said Mississippi will probably stay in the last spot. "Until we can decrease the poverty rate of families and children, this will probably continue," she said.

New Health Insurance Rules Would Let Consumers Compare Plans In ‘Plain English’ 

The Washington Post - 8/18/2011

What would your health insurance cover if you got pregnant? How much could you expect to pay out of pocket if you needed treatment for diabetes? How do your plan’s benefits compare with another company’s? Starting as soon as March, consumers could have a better handle on such questions, under new rules aimed at decoding the fine print of health insurance plans.  Regulations proposed by the Obama administration on Wednesday would require all private health insurance plans to provide current and prospective customers a brief, standardized summary of policy costs and benefits.  To make it easier for consumers to make apples-to-apples comparisons between plans, the summary will also include a breakdown estimating the expenses