Republican Arkansas looks to cut its once-expanded Medicaid rolls

Jun 22, 2017
With the future of the Affordable Care Act uncertain, some states anticipate greater reductions by Congress.
Eddie Pannell is the retiring executive director at Harmony Health Clinic. He thinks many patients who left the free clinic after the passage of the Affordable Care Act will return if Congress cuts Medicaid.
Sarah Whites-Koditschek /Marketplace

America's great divide: Those who stayed in their hometowns and those who left

Jun 22, 2017
Polarization in the country might not be as simple as "liberals vs. conservatives."
Signs direct drivers in Sidney, Nebraska.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

As big insurers flee Obamacare exchanges, others are jumping in

Jun 21, 2017
Today is the deadline for health insurance companies to decide if they’re going to be in or out of the health care exchanges in 2018. Several of the big insurers, like Anthem and Humana, are bailing on the exchanges in many markets, limiting or eliminating options for patients using Obamacare. But while some companies are […]

Why America spends more on health care than any other developed country

Jun 20, 2017
We often hear that health care accounts for a staggering one-sixth of the U.S. economy. According to the most recent data from the Center for Medicaid & Medicare services, we spend $3.2 trillion a year on health care. That is, indeed, about a sixth of our GDP. Here’s what we spend it on, and why […]

Why do big companies support a carbon tax?

Jun 20, 2017
A group called the Climate Leadership Council put out a plan for a carbon tax earlier this year, and it’s made up not just of environmentalist types, though there are some of those, but also conservative Republicans and business leaders. Its founding members include multinational corporations, including fossil fuel and auto companies like Exxon Mobil, […]

If nominated, the new chairman of bank overseer FDIC could support less regulation

Jun 20, 2017
The board of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, which regulates many of the country’s smaller banks and oversees the “living wills” of larger banks, could soon have a new chairman. President Trump plans to tap long-time Republican congressional staffer James Clinger for the role, which would require congressional approval. What could change at the FDIC under […]

Energy secretary details steep budget cuts to Congress this week

Jun 20, 2017
Department of Energy head Rick Perry has a history of developing renewable energy, especially wind power, as governor of Texas. He voiced support for wind and solar power expansion in his confirmation hearings and elsewhere. But the budget on the table for DOE includes drastic cuts to the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, […]

For public good, not for profit.

Somali refugees seek integration into rural Minnesota

Jun 19, 2017
Groups in and around the St. Cloud area are teaching locals about some of their newer neighbors.
Somali-born author, college instructor and business consultant Hudda Ibrahim addresses a class on "Somali Lives and Culture" at the College of Saint Benedict, near St. Cloud, Minnesota.
Annie Baxter/Marketplace

On health care, consumer groups have no seat at the table

Jun 19, 2017
The Senate is working to get its own version of the American Health Care Act ready before it goes on recess July 3. Only a small group of senators is working on it, without the input of many other people. This has been frustrating for some consumer groups, who say they’ve been locked out. So many […]

Congress has fewer people helping them than they used to

Jun 19, 2017
Rank-and-file House members have smaller staffs and fewer experts to turn to.
"Ordinary lawmakers are pressed for time, and often they find themselves out of their depth no matter how smart they are or how experienced they are," says Max Ehrenfreund, a Washington Post writer.
Zach Gibson/Getty Images