north dakota

The Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA) now under consideration in the Senate would drastically alter North Dakota’s Medicaid program. The proposed Senate bill would change the way the federal government currently funds Medicaid by limiting federal funding and shifting cost over time to both states and Medicaid enrollees. The BCRA would subject older adults, adults with disabilities, Medicaid expansion adults, and non-disabled children under age 19 to mandatory per enrollee caps beginning in 2020. State Medicaid programs would have the option to choose between block grants and per enrollee caps for non-elderly, non-disabled, non-expansion adults.

Imagine this: You live on a fixed income and work hard to budget your money. You are very conscious about how you use your utilities. Yet, no matter how much electricity you use, your bill keeps going up.

As we enter the heart of summer, the temperature isn’t the only thing on the rise — utility bills are increasing, too. For seniors especially, keeping cool in these hot summer months isn’t just a luxury, it’s a necessity for health and safety — one that can be hard to afford for some. As my colleague Joan McCarty of AARP New York simplifies it, “every extra dollar that goes to a utility bill is a dollar less for food and medicine.”

”Great news from Illinois: A new law will help 2.5 million workers retire with confidence. Signed by former Gov. Quinn this year, the Illinois Secure Choice Program gives millions of state residents a way to save for their future at work — a tool that increases savings rates by 15 times.  Upon signing the bill, Gov. Quinn shared, “This is a special ... opportunity, for all of us to go forward at helping people save for retirement.

Bucking the economic trend of both the U.S. and the world, North Dakota is experiencing growth and budget surpluses.