The federal Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) finances healthy foods and other support for pregnant and postpartum women and their children. But many experts believe the program’s limited choice of food is driving down participation rates. While food insecurity has increased in recent years, participation in WIC has decreased, with only half of eligible families enrolled. The New York Times’ Emily Schmall explains how WIC is broadening the variety of eligible food to increase participation:
Lactose-intolerant and vegan participants can now buy soy or almond milk, instead of dairy products. Grain choices, once limited to pasta and sliced bread, now include amaranth, blue corn tortillas, wild rice, teff, naan and quinoa. And all recipients will have access to more fruit and vegetables. States have two years to implement the changes, but some, including Illinois, have already started rolling them out. At the heart of the changes is the growing body of evidence that good food is essential to health, protecting women from pregnancy complications, saving infants’ lives and reducing the rate of malnutrition in children.
Current teacher shortage is tip of iceberg: part II
Recent analysis from the Economic Policy Institute analyzed the shortage in the U.S. teacher labor market and outlined ways to close the gap. A new blog from EPI’s Hilary Wething explains why simply finding a better equilibrium between the number of open positions and hires isn’t the cure-all solution:
However, solving today’s teacher shortage would not constitute a silver bullet when it comes to making an appropriate investment in the nation’s public education. Since the onset of the Great Recession, funding for public education has not kept pace with our nation’s capacity to fund education and students have suffered as a result. More funds flowing to the nation’s public schools—particularly funds flowing to low-income and high-poverty school districts—would yield large benefits for students and society at large.
Red and blue states tackle medical debt
An estimated 100 million American adults, including 380,000 Louisianans, are saddled with medical debt. This debt deters people from seeking medical care, lowers credit scores and keeps families from buying a home or putting money away for their childrens’ college education. But as the Kaiser Family Foundation’s Noam Levey explains on NPR, red and blue states are passing laws to prevent people from falling into financial destitution because they got sick or injured:
“Regardless of their party, regardless of their background … any significant medical procedure can place people into bankruptcy,” Florida House Speaker Paul Renner, a conservative Republican, said in an interview. “This is a real issue.” Renner, who has shepherded controversial measures to curb abortion rights and expand the death penalty in Florida, this year also led an effort to limit when hospitals could send patients to collections. It garnered unanimous support in the Florida Legislature. Bipartisan measures in other states have gone further, barring unpaid medical bills from consumer credit reports and restricting medical providers from placing liens on patients’ homes.
New Orleans recently reached an agreement with Ochsner Health to eliminate $59 million in medical debt. Negotiations with the region’s other major hospital, LCMC Health, remain ongoing.
Renters get left behind after natural disasters
Renters face a lack of affordable housing after natural disasters as the number of available units decrease and prices increase. This dynamic leads to an increased number of eviction filings and evictions. Route Fifty’s Molly Bolan explains the struggles renters face in the wake of natural disasters and policies that can alleviate their hardship:
That’s why eviction moratoria are “the number one thing” states can do to assist renters after disasters, said Noah Patton, manager of disaster recovery for the National Low Income Housing Coalition. A bill introduced in Congress last year, the Federal Disaster Housing Stability Act, would institute a 120-day eviction moratorium in places subject to a national emergency declaration. … To help with housing costs immediately after a disaster, survivors can apply for rental assistance to cover rent and utilities through the Federal Emergency Management Agency. But that aid lasts only a few months, and the application process can be burdensome and confusing, Patton said.
Number of the Day
$175 billion – Total amount of student debt relief that President Joe Biden’s administration has approved, which has benefited nearly 5 million borrowers. (Source: New York Times)