MONEY CONTINUES TO CORRUPT OUR ELECTIONS

It’s likely that over $10 billion will be spent on political campaigns in the 2023 – 2024 election cycle. The bulk of this money comes from wealthy individuals and corporations. This skews our public policies and the enforcement of our laws to favor their special interests because they do expect to get something in return for their investments. Most Republicans and even some Democrats oppose efforts to limit campaign contributions.

(Note: If you find my posts too long to read on occasion, please just skim the bolded portions. Thanks for reading my blog! Special Note: The new, more user-friendly website for my blog is here.)

As we enter the 2024 presidential election year, money is once again, of course, flooding into candidates’ campaigns. It’s no surprise that, with all the money wealthy individuals and corporations are putting into campaigns, public policies and the enforcement of our laws are skewed to their special interests. A key cause of the growing flood of money is the 2010 Citizens United U.S. Supreme Court decision (and related ones) that have equated the spending of money in political campaigns with the right to free speech and have given corporations free speech rights like those granted to human beings by our Bill of Rights.

Although the presidential election year has just begun, huge amounts of money have already flowed into presidential candidates’ campaign coffers. Including each candidate’s campaign committee as well as any super political action committee(s) (PACs) or other “outside” group(s) dedicated to supporting the candidate, the major candidates have already raised the following sums: [1]

Biden $147.5 million
Trump $139.5 million
Haley $105.4 million
Kennedy $ 0 million

There typically is at least one super PAC or outside group supporting any serious presidential candidate. These groups can raise and spend unlimited amounts of money and some of them work hard to obscure who their donors are (e.g., through “dark money” groups). Legally, PACs and outside groups are supposed to operate independently of the candidate’s committee, but this is true only in theory. They’re often run by former staffers, friends, or even family members. They sometimes share office space or consultants with the candidate’s campaign. Increasingly, these supposedly independent entities are taking on some of the duties traditionally handled by the candidate’s campaign, such as organizing town hall meetings or doing voter outreach. This is happening because currently there’s effectively no enforcement of the requirement for independence as the Federal Election Commission has largely been emasculated by political gridlock.

The political parties are, of course, also raising money. The Democrats and Republicans each have three major committees, a national one, a Senate one, and a House one. The combined fundraising totals for the three committees are: [2]

Democrats $315.5 million
Republicans $262.8 million

Campaign fundraising will, of course, increase during this election year. It’s likely that each side will spend over $1 billion on the presidential race alone. This is a staggering amount of money and the wealthy individual and corporate donors do expect to get something in return for their investments. Therefore, their money skews the policy topics and alternatives that are on the table for consideration, as well as which ones are enacted and how laws are enforced (or not).

For all federal elections (not just the presidential race), outside spending is greater than it’s ever been. Super PACs and other outside groups have already spent almost $318 million on the presidential and congressional races. This is over six times what had been spent at this point in the last presidential election cycle in 2020. An advertising analyst is predicting that over $10 billion will be spent on political advertising in the 2023 – 2024 election cycle. [3]

Most Republicans and, unfortunately, even some Democrats oppose efforts to limit campaign contributions. Elected officials have successfully used the current system to get elected and the large contributions of wealthy individuals and corporations are typically what got them into office and will keep them there, whether they’re Democrats or Republicans.

Recently, in Virginia, Democrats who control the General Assembly quietly killed a bill that would have limited campaign contributions. Virginia is one of five states with virtually no limits on campaign contributions. Although three-quarters of voters in Virginia – including strong majorities of Democrats (82%) and Republicans (67%) – support contribution limits, bills to do so make no progress in the legislature.

The recent legislation that was killed would have limited individuals’ contributions to Senate and statewide candidates to $20,000 and to $10,000 for House candidates. Typical contribution limits for individuals in other states are between $2,000 and $4,000, and are $3,300 at the federal level. Even these amounts are much more than the average voter can or will contribute. So, the proposed Virginia limits were quite high, but still weren’t acceptable to Democratic legislators there. Overall, campaign contributions for legislative candidates in Virginia have grown from $39 million in 1989 to $191 million in 2023 (after adjusting for inflation). Dominion Energy, the state’s largest publicly-regulated electric utility, was the largest contributor in the 2023 election cycle, giving $11.5 million to candidates and party committees, including almost $700,000 to the Democratic House Speaker. This money is buying access if not outright influence. [4]

Massive campaign spending corrupts our democracy. Many elected officials are beholden to wealthy donors, individuals and corporations. The effects on our government and its policy making are both blatant and subtle, but we certainly do NOT have a democratic government that’s truly of the people, by the people, and for the people.

[1] Open Secrets, retrieved 2/18/24, “2024 Presidential Race,” (https://www.opensecrets.org/2024-presidential-race)

[2] Bryner, S., & Glavin, B., 2/1/24, “Three takeaways from 2024 presidential candidate filings,” Open Secrets (https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2024/02/three-takeaways-from-2024-presidential-candidate-campaign-finance-filings)

[3] Massoglia, A., & Cloutier, J., 1/16/24, “Outside spending on 2024 elections tops $138 million,” Open Secrets (https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2024/01/outside-spending-on-2024-elections-tops-318-million/)

[4] Cloutier, J., 2/16/24, “Virginia state lawmakers quietly killed a bill to limit campaign donations,” Open Secrets (https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2024/02/virginia-legislature-killed-a-bill-to-limit-campaign-donations)

SHORT TAKES ON IMPORTANT STORIES #2

Here are short takes on four important stories that have gotten little attention in the mainstream media. Each provides a quick summary of the story, a hint as to why it’s important, and a link to more information.

STORY #1: As the political divide in the U.S. widens, it’s been particularly evident in state level policies. States now vary widely in their health care coverage for low-income households under Medicaid and other public health programs. There’s also great variation in the generosity of other public benefits and safety net programs. Minimum wage and gun safety laws vary greatly as do rates of unionization. These and many other state policies affect the well-being and ultimately the longevity of a state’s residents.

Examining life expectancy provides a valuable perspective on the effects of policies on the residents of states and countries. Globally, life expectancy has been increasing in high-income countries for decades. While the U.S.’s life expectancy was increasing, when compared to these other countries it began to fall behind in the 1990s and by 2006 it ranked last. After 2014, life expectancy in the U.S. actually began to decline. By 2021, life expectancy in the U.S. was 76.4 years, compared to 80 to 83 years in European countries and 84.5 years in Japan. Even in China it was 78.2 years. [1]

The trend in life expectancy varies considerably among U.S. states. Several recent studies provide convincing evidence that the divergence of state-level policies between Democratic and Republican dominated states has contributed significantly to the changes in life expectancy, especially for low-income people. The differences are highlighted by comparing Connecticut and Oklahoma where the policy ideology has shifted the most over the last 60 years. In CT, policies have trended toward Democratic, progressive, or liberal policies and in OK toward Republican or conservative policies. In both states, life expectancy was 71.1 years in 1959. By 2017, life expectancy in CT had increased to 80.7 years, while in OK it had increased to only 75.8 years. [2]

STORY #2: Not content to control just state policies (and harm residents statewide), Republican-controlled states are more and more frequently blocking local governments from enacting policies that benefit their local residents (but that state-level lawmakers don’t like). This trend began in 2016 when North Carolina’s Republican state officials nullified Charlotte’s ordinance protecting LGBTQ rights. Also in 2016, the Republican Alabama state legislature and governor banned local minimum wage laws after Birmingham had enacted one. (Note: Alabama is one of five states (all in the south) that has never enacted a state minimum wage law.) Mississippi’s Republican state lawmakers stripped Jackson of its criminal courts, having the state take over. Nashville’s civilian police review board was prohibited by Tennessee’s Republican state officials.

Texas, which had previously banned municipalities from enacting tenant protections and regulating fracking within their boundaries, for example, has now passed a blanket prohibition on any local law that does more than state law in a wide range of policy arenas, including agriculture, finance, insurance, labor, natural resources, and property rights, as well as in business, commerce, and employment law. Among many other things, this state law negated laws in Austin and Dallas that required water breaks for construction workers, despite scorching hot summer days. Florida is now trying to outdo even Texas’s blanket preemption of local government policy making. [3]

According to the Local Solutions Support Center (which helps municipalities fight state preemption laws), these preemption laws began as special interest legislation pushed by businesses for economic reasons but have now expanded to social issues and the culture war. Over 700 preemption bills have been filed in state legislatures in 2023 and, by October, 90 had been passed, even though they are typically unpopular with the public. They are, however, popular with wealthy business owners who provide campaign money to Republicans. Thirty-one of the largest 35 cities in the U.S. are run by Democrats and most of them have large minority populations, including Black majorities in some southern cities. Pre-emption by Republican state lawmakers prevents Democrats and, in some cases, Blacks from governing in their own communities.

STORY #3: A classic case of pre-emption by state and federal lawmakers has been protecting gun manufacturers and dealers from liability for gun crimes involving violence and deaths using illegally sold guns. In the late 1990s, dozens of cities filed lawsuits against gun manufacturers and dealers. Only one, brought by Gary, Indiana, has survived lawmakers’ protections and legal challenges. Last fall, the judge for the case ordered the gun manufacturers and retailers who are defendants to turn over internal records relevant to the case. It is widely believed that these documents would reveal damaging evidence about the gunmakers’ and sellers’ knowledge of illegal gun sales. Republicans, who hold large majorities in the Indiana state legislature and the governorship, are pushing legislation that would ban cities from suing gun manufacturers or dealers; reserving that power to the state. Not coincidentally, the legislation is retroactive to August 27, 1999, three days before the Gary lawsuit was filed. [4]

STORY #4: With the end of the pandemic’s ban on dropping children and adults from Medicaid health insurance, millions of children are losing health care coverage. States are now allowed to review the current eligibility of children covered by their Medicaid programs. At least 2 million children have already lost coverage and federal researchers estimate that more than 5 million children will eventually lose the health insurance they’ve been getting through Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Under the pandemic’s emergency rules, Medicaid enrollment grew and researchers estimate that by 2022 more than half of the children in the U.S. were covered by Medicaid or CHIP. Overall, over 90 million people, more than one-fourth of the population, were enrolled in these health insurance programs. Over 15 million people have now lost their Medicaid coverage based on these eligibility reviews. Because Medicaid and CHIP are joint federal-state programs, the states have significant power to decide who they will cover and who they won’t and what happens to people who lose their coverage. [5] In Massachusetts, for example, 400,000 people have lost their Medicaid coverage, but the state is actively working to help them obtain other health insurance. Over 50,000 of them have signed up for subsidized health insurance under the state’s Health Connector program. [6]

[1] OECD, 2024, “Life expectancy at birth,” (https://data.oecd.org/healthstat/life-expectancy-at-birth.htm)

[2] Starr, P., 12/8/23, “The life-or-death cost of conservative power,” The American Prospect (https://prospect.org/health/2023-12-08-life-death-cost-conservative-power/)

[3] Meyerson, H., 2/6/24, “Pre-preemption,” The American Prospect (https://prospect.org/politics/2024-02-06-pre-preemption/)

[4] Cook, T., & Coleman, V., 1/30/24, “Indiana lawmakers trying to kill historic suit seeking gun industry accountability,” ProPublica and IndyStar (https://www.propublica.org/article/indiana-guns-gary-lawsuit-gunmakers-hb1235)

[5] Weiland, N., 11/10/23, “2 million kids lost health coverage,” The Boston Globe from the New York Times

[6] Borkhetaria, B., 1/29/24, “MassHealth takes steps to preserve coverage for eligible members,” CommonWealth Beacon (https://commonwealthbeacon.org/the-download/the-download-masshealth-takes-steps-to-preserve-coverage-for-eligible-members/)

RESULTS OF FOR-PROFIT HEALTH CARE Part 2

Here are some current examples of the results of for-profit health care: lack of availability and use of generic drugs, huge bills for ambulance services, doctors unionizing, and illegal and unethical health care for prison inmates from a private equity-owned provider.

This is the eleventh post in a series on how the U.S. health care system is a high-cost, low-quality, profit-driven system. The tenth post provides some other examples of the results of for-profit health care and links to the previous posts. Those posts cover the negative effects of vertical integration and private equity-owned health care providers. They also describe illegal and unethical behavior by nursing home operators as well as anti-competitive and often illegal practices by drug companies. And one post highlights how doctors are pushing back against for-profit health care.

Generic drugs that are just as effective as and cheaper than brand name drugs are sometimes unavailable in the U.S. or are underused because they don’t produce enough profit. For example, there’s a generic cold medicine, ambroxol, that’s been available in Europe since 1978. It’s cheap (a few euros), available over the counter, and Americans who have used it describe it as miraculous. However, no drugmaker has ever sought Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval to sell it in the U.S. FDA approval is costly and time-consuming and the profits of a generic drug aren’t sufficient to warrant the expense, so it’s not available in the U.S. [1]

The Biden Administration should direct the FDA to establish a new, expedited approval process for drugs approved for sale in Europe. The European Medicines Agency, Europe’s equivalent of the FDA, has a proven track record as an effective drug regulator and the FDA could simply review its records on a drug and quickly approve the drug for use in the U.S.

Another example is anastrozole, a generic drug that works to prevent breast cancer in post-menopausal women with risk factors for breast cancer. Many women and even some doctors are unaware of this because, as a generic drug, it would not produce enough profit to warrant a marketing campaign by a drugmaker. A one-year supply costs only about $100. Anastrozole is FDA approved for treating breast cancer but not for preventing breast cancer. A definitive clinical trial showing its benefit in preventing breast cancer was completed in 2014 in the United Kingdom (UK). Because the UK has a single-payer health care system that is motivated to decrease costs as well as promote health, it promotes the use of anastrozole for preventing breast cancer, while no one is promoting that here in the U.S. [2]

On a different front, exorbitant bills for ambulance transportation are still widespread, despite the federal No Surprises Act passed in 2022. It eliminated surprise billing for most medical services but excluded ambulance services because of the complexities involved. An advisory committee charged with studying this issue recently recommended capping patients’ out-of-pocket costs at $100. At least ten states have banned surprise billing (aka balance billing) to patients of the difference between what a service provider charges and what the patient’s insurance will pay. In the absence of such a state law, patients are receiving ambulance bills that often are $1,000 and sometimes as high as $3,300. People who need an ambulance shouldn’t have second thoughts about calling one due to fear of an unaffordable bill. [3]

Doctors are pushing back against for-profit health care by unionizing (which was the topic of this previous post). The 145 doctors at Salem Hospital in Massachusetts have announced they are unionizing in order to improve patient care. Citing budget cuts, lack of sufficient beds, and decision-making without their input, they are joining Council 93 of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), which represents roughly 3,000 doctors nationwide. Salem Hospital is part of the Mass General Brigham, Boston-based conglomerate, which employs about 7,500 doctors. Some of its nurses, medical residents and fellows, and other staff are already unionized. [4]

Another example of problems with private equity (PE) owned health care providers is Wellpath (owned by H.I.G. Capital). (See previous posts here and here for other examples.) Wellpath provides prison health care in 34 states for 300,000 patients, generating an estimated $2 billion in revenue. It is a defendant in over 1,000 lawsuits filed by prisoners, their families, and civil rights advocates. A survey of inmates it serves found that 80% reported delayed health care and 79% reported a medical condition that had been ignored. In its six years servicing 6,000 inmates in Massachusetts’s Department of Correction, it has been accused of chronic understaffing, denials of care, and failures to follow doctors’ treatment plans, as well as inappropriate treatment of inmates with mental health issues, including the inappropriate use of solitary confinement and chemical and physical restraints. In November 2020, an investigation by the Massachusetts U.S. Attorney and the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division found numerous problems and accused Wellpath of exposing inmates having a mental health crisis “to conditions that harm them or place them at serious risk of harm.” [5] [6]

I urge you to contact President Biden and your U.S. Representative and Senators to ask them to:

Implement an expedited FDA approval process for drugs approved in Europe,
Fund the FDA to promote generic drug use, and
Ban private equity firms from our healthcare system. Furthermore, ask them to regulate the private equity business generally to eliminate its harmful and unproductive extreme capitalism practices throughout our economy.

You can email President Biden at http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/submit-questions-and-comments or you can call the White House comment line at 202-456-1111 or the switchboard at 202-456-1414. You can find contact information for your US Representative at http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/ and for your US Senators at http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm.

[1] Kuttner, R., 9/15/23, “How do you spell relief?” The American Prospect (https://prospect.org/blogs-and-newsletters/tap/2023-09-15-how-do-you-spell-relief/)

[2] Kleiman, L., 12/27/23, “Cheap, effective treatments for cancer already exist, so why don’t we know about them?” The Boston Globe

[3] Editorial Board, 11/20/23, “Ban expensive surprise bills for ambulance rides,” The Boston Globe

[4] Johnston, K., 1/10/24, “Hospital doctors forming a union,” The Boston Globe

[5] Piore, A., 1/3/24, “Company seeking new contract faces more scrutiny over prisoner treatment,” The Boston Globe

[6] Editorial Board, 12/27/23, “Warren, Markey shine a much-needed light on prison health care,” The Boston Globe

RESULTS OF FOR-PROFIT HEALTH CARE

Here are some current examples of the results of for-profit health care. First, serious medical errors and complications increase in hospitals after they’ve been bought by private equity firms. Second, acquisitions, consolidations, and vertical integration are rampant throughout the U.S. health care system leading to monopolistic power and behaviors.

This is the tenth post in a series on how the U.S. health care system is a profit-driven system. The first post presented an overview of the system. The second and third ones focused on the role of the extreme capitalism of private equity firms. The fourth and fifth posts described large-scale vertical integration and the related problems and illegal behavior. The sixth post describes egregious illegal and unethical behavior that is all too common among nursing home operators. The seventh post highlighted how doctors are pushing back. The eighth and ninth posts described anti-competitive and often illegal practices by drug companies that are jacking up drug prices in the U.S. and what can be done about it.

The rate of serious medical errors and complications increased by 25% or more in some hospitals after they were bought by private equity (PE) firms. A recent study of 51 hospitals between 2009 and 2019 found that in the three years after a hospital was bought by a private equity firm, infections, bed sores, and falls all increased by 25% or more. Reduced staffing is likely to be a major contributor to this increase in adverse outcomes. [1] [2]

Over the last 20 years, private equity firms have been major buyers of hospitals and other pieces of our health care system. For example, two PE-owned companies now dominate the motorized wheelchair business. To reduce costs and maximize profits, they a) use lower quality parts, which lead to more breakdowns and malfunctions; and b) have reduced the number of repair technicians so there are long waits for repairs. [3] [4]

The private equity model is to buy a business, saddle it with high levels of debt and/or rent (after profiting from selling its real estate), take (often excessive) fees and dividends, maximize short-term profits, and then sell what’s left of the business or file for bankruptcy. The PE model has led to monopolistic consolidations, staffing cuts (often compromising quality and safety), financial manipulation, disruptive bankruptcies, and reduced quality, access, and affordability of health care for many Americans. (See previous posts here and here for more details.)

In addition to private equity firms’ activities, acquisitions and consolidations are rampant throughout the U.S. health care system. Although large health care providers and vertical integration can, in theory, lead to efficiencies and lower costs, the extreme-concentration and vertical integration that’s occurring is leading to higher costs, along with reduced quality and access. (See previous posts here and here for more details on vertical integration in the health care system.)

A recent example of an acquisition creating increased consolidation and vertical integration is CVS’s purchase of Oak Street Health and its 169 clinics for $22 billion. Oak Street serves patients over 65 who are on Medicare and “its lucrative privatized cousin, Medicare Advantage.” So, another health system giant gets bigger by adding to the 11% of Medicare Advantage patients already covered by its Aetna subsidiary. [5] This increases CVS’s opportunities for profit growth through monopolistic power and vertical integration.

In another recent example, UnitedHealth, already the largest health care conglomerate, purchased Amedisys, a provider of home health and hospice care, in June 2023 for $3.3 billion. This gives UnitedHealth the ability to direct more of its Medicare patients (it runs the country’s largest Medicare Advantage plan) to itself, keeping the money and profits in-house. Home health and hospice care have some of the largest Medicare profit margins, 22% and 17% respectively, based on the latest data from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission. [6]

As another example, local drug stores and pharmacies have been replaced by giant chains like CVS and Walgreens. Having gained large degrees of local market domination, they are now closing hundreds of stores to maximize profits, leaving some customers with long and inconvenient trips to get their medications. In a 1933 U.S. Supreme Court decision that stopped states from charging higher fees to chain store retailers in an effort to protect local businesses, Justice Louis Brandeis wrote a famous and prescient dissent. He wrote that opposition to the growth of chain stores was occurring because “furthering the concentration of wealth and of power and … promoting absentee ownership, is thwarting American ideals; that it is making impossible equality of opportunity; that it is converting independent tradesmen into clerks; and that it is sapping the resources, the vigor and the hope of the smaller cities and towns.” France, in contrast to U.S. policies, requires that a pharmacy must be owned by a licensed pharmacist, who is limited to having only one store! [7]

In addition to the large multi-state, billion-dollar acquisitions, many local and regional acquisitions occurred in 2023. Local or regional hospitals, physicians’ practices, and other health care providers are consolidating to boost their market share, which increases their negotiating leverage with insurers, allowing them to charge higher prices. These regional consolidations that provide monopolistic power to providers are occurring all over the country from Florida to Colorado and from Massachusetts to California.

[1] Abelson, R., & Sanger-Katz, M., 12/27/23, “JAMA study notes rise in medical errors: Increase seen in hospitals bought by private equity,” The Boston Globe from the New York Times

[2] Kannan S., Bruch, J. D., & Song, Z., 12/26/23, “Changes in hospital adverse events and patient outcomes associated with private equity acquisition,” Journal of the American Medical Association (https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2813379)

[3] Editorial Board, 1/17/24, “Scrutinize private equity’s involvement in health care,” The Boston Globe

[4] Roberts, P., May-June 2022, “Two behemoths dominate the motorized wheelchair industry. Disabled customers pay the price,” Mother Jones (https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2022/05/motorized-wheelchairs-numotion-national-seating-mobility/)

[5] Herman, B., & Bannow, T., 12/30/23, “2023 saw several health care deals that changed the landscape,” The Boston Globe

[6] Herman, B., & Bannow, T., 12/30/23, see above

[7] Kuttner R., 1/19/24, “Saving local retail,” The American Prospect blog (https://prospect.org/blogs-and-newsletters/tap/2024-01-19-saving-local-retail/)

SHORT TAKES ON IMPORTANT STORIES 2/1/24

These short takes highlight important stories that have gotten little attention in the mainstream media. They provide a quick summary of the story, a hint as to why it’s important, and a link to more information.

The U.S. economy is performing better than any other major economy in the world. Workers’ wages have grown 2.8% over the last four years after adjusting for inflation. The overall economy is 7% larger than before the pandemic and unemployment has been at record lows. Inflation is down to a benign 2% and consumer spending, which drives the U.S. economy, is growing. This isn’t just happenstance; it’s been fueled by pandemic relief measures and economy-stimulating legislation passed by Democrats in Congress and the Biden Administration. The success of these policies suggests that in future economic downturns, stimulative spending (i.e., fiscal policy) may well be more effective in reviving the economy than the Federal Reserve’s adjustment of interest rates (i.e., monetary policy). (Lynch, D. J., 1/28/24, “You don’t have to look far for the world’s best economic recovery because it’s happening here. What is going on in the US?” The Boston Globe from The Washington Post)

In February 2023, a train derailed in East Palestine, OH, and created a toxic nightmare. The railroads promised to operate more safely and Congress promised to pass legislation to prevent future accidents. However, derailments have increased and no legislation has been passed. Congressional legislation, the Railway Safety Act, has been opposed by lobbyists for the railroads. (Eavis, P., 1/28/24, “Since Ohio train derailment, accidents have gone up,” The Boston Globe from the New York Times)

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has proposed limiting the overdraft fees big banks can charge. The proposal, which will probably take a year or two to finalize and go into effect, would reduce the $35 overdraft fee that’s the current standard to between $3 and $14 or just enough to cover banks’ costs. The proposal would only apply to the 175 largest banks (out of about 9,000), but those banks collect about 2/3 of all overdraft fees. In 2022, consumers paid $7.7 billion in overdraft fees; the CFPB’s proposal would save bank customers about $3.5 billion a year. CFPB will be accepting public comments until April 1. (Crowley, S., 1/17/24, “Consumer bureau proposes overdraft fee limits for large banks,” The Boston Globe from the New York Times; The CFPB website: CFPB Proposes Rule to Close Bank Overdraft Loophole that Costs Americans Billions Each Year in Junk Fees)

Republicans in 15 states are refusing to provide federally-funded food to 8 million very low-income children this summer when they don’t get free meals at school. In 2022, roughly one out of every six households with children did not have enough food (17.3%). This was up almost 50% from 2021 due to the end of emergency food assistance, which was a response to the pandemic. The states refusing the federal funding are: Alabama, Alaska, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Vermont, and Wyoming. (Gowen, A., 1/10/24, “Republican governors in 15 states reject summer food money for kids,” The Boston Globe from the Washington Post)

A record 20 million people have enrolled in health insurance under the Affordable Care Act (aka Obama Care) this year. This is up 25% over last year’s record of 16 million and is at least in part due to increased subsidies for health insurance’s costs. The need for and popularity of federally subsidized health insurance grows, despite Republican attempts to reduce the subsidies and statements denigrating the Affordable Care Act. (Weiland, N., 1/22/24, “20m signed up for Obamacare for the new year,” The Boston Globe from the New York Times; Weiland, N., 12/21/23, “Americans are signing up for Obamacare in record numbers,” The Boston Globe from the New York Times)

Intuit Inc., the maker of the Turbo Tax software for doing income tax returns, has lobbied aggressively against the IRS creating an easy, free, on-line system for Americans to file their income tax returns. It has claimed such a system would be too expensive and not a good use of taxpayers’ money. The IRS has estimated that it would cost between $64 and $249 million annually for it to offer a free E-filing system. Intuit got a federal research tax credit of $94 million in 2022, which would roughly pay for the cost of the free IRS filing system. (Business Talking Points, 1/4/24, “Lawmakers say break for Intuit could have financed free government tax filing program,” The Boston Globe from Bloomberg News; Senator E. Warren, 1/3/24, “Warren, Blumenthal, Sanders, Porter probe massive tax breaks received by Intuit while company fights free tax filing for millions of Americans”)