PathWays PA E-Newsletter: May 18, 2009

By -
May 29: Overlooked and Undercounted: Trying to Make Ends Meet in Pennsylvania


WHAT: Discussion of PathWays PA's latest publication -- Overlooked and
Undercounted: Struggling to Make End Meet in Pennsylvania

WHO: Carol Goertzel, President and CEO of PathWays PA
Dr. Diana Pearce, author of the study

WHEN: Friday, May 29th 10:00 - 12:00

WHERE: United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania
7 Benjamin Franklin Parkway
Philadelphia, PA
For parking information please click here.

One-fifth of the 3.4 million households in Pennsylvania lack adequate income to meet their basic needs, representing a large and diverse group of families experiencing distress. That's one of the findings from PathWays PA's latest study of the economic needs of the state's working families, Overlooked and Undercounted: Struggling to Make Ends Meet in Pennsylvania.

The release of the report marks the first time that demographic data relating to the Self-Sufficiency Standard has been collected in the state. Previously, the Standard had simply been calculated but the number and types of households affected had not been determined.

PathWays PA partnered with the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry to produce the first edition of Overlooked and Undercounted. The report was developed by Diana M. Pearce, Ph.D., Director of the Center for Women's Welfare at the University of Washington School of Social Work.

Come and learn about the study directly from its author and the President and CEO of PathWays PA.

Please register by clicking here. Seating is limited. Registration is required. If you have problems registering online, please R.S.V.P. with Kate Scully at kscully@pathwayspa.org or 610-534-5022 x 255.



Help Ensure All Pennsylvanians are Able to Attend College!

Hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians are facing a financial emergency that is threatening their future as well as the economic future of the Commonwealth.
Pennsylvania is the sixth most expensive state in the nation for college costs, and the high cost of attending college means fewer students earn a degree
Only about a 1/4 of Pennsylvania adults has a bachelor’s degree – far fewer than in many competitor states
A Pennsylvanian with a bachelor’s degree will earn twice as much over the course of a lifetime as a person who has only a high school diploma – almost $1 million more
The Tuition Relief Act will help ensure that all Pennsylvanians are able to attend college and leave without the burden of tens of thousands of dollars of unmanageable college debt.

There are a number of ways you can take action to support the Tuition Relief Act.
Visit the website
Sign the online petition
Join the Facebook group
Attend a hearing on the Tuition Relief Act.


Join the Support for adultBasic and Smart Pharmacy!

The PA Health Access Network (PHAN) is seeking support in an effort to update and expand adultBasic, the subsidized health insurance program for working-age adults.

There are no General Fund dollars in this program now. It is funded by tobacco settlement funds and contributions made by the Blues insurance companies in lieu of taxes. The expansion PHAN seeks in this budget would be funded primarily by federal Medicaid dollars.

From the federal point of view, these federal dollars need to be existing Medicaid expenditures that are saved due to improvements in Pennsylvania’s management of the MA program.

Smart Pharmacy, also known as the pharmacy carve-out, would yield significant savings in the MA prescription drug benefit. These savings would be achieved by giving DPW authority to administer the drug prescription drug benefit for all 2 million MA recipients. Currently, DPW does not administer the benefit for 1.2 million MA recipients who are enrolled in managed care organizations in the southeast, south-central, and southwest parts of the state.

PHAN is sending a letter to members of the Pennsylvania Senate and House endorsing Smart Pharmacy as a way to save state funds, which are needed to avoid other cuts to Department of Public Welfare programs, and save federal funds, which are needed to fund adultBasic expansion

For more information on the letter and other issues PHAN is working on please visit http://www.pahealthaccess.org/.


Support Paid Sick Days!

Did you see the news? The swine flu is spreading so far and fast that state health officials may stop counting individual cases. The government recommends you stay home if you’re sick, but nearly 100 million workers don’t have a single paid sick day to care for a sick child, ailing parent or spouse, or other family member.

All workers in the United States need paid sick days. And this Monday, the Healthy Families Act will be introduced on Capitol Hill. The Healthy Families Act is federal legislation that would let workers earn up to seven paid sick days per year.

Please take a minute to urge your elected leaders to support paid sick days today by clicking here.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

PathWays PA E-Newsletter: August 6, 2012

By -
Image
Federal Policy Updates  CONGRESS IN AGREEMENT TO WORK ON A 6-MONTH CONTINUING RESOLUTION Last week House and Senate leaders announced that a deal has been reached to pass a 6-month continuing resolution to fund the federal government through next spring. Details of the agreement have not yet been made public, but the continuing resolution will reportedly fund federal agencies at current spending levels. With both chambers of Congress on summer recess, a vote on the agreement will likely be held in September, before the end of the fiscal year. If this agreement is enacted it will ensure that the government will not be shutdown at the end of September when the current spending plan ends. HELP MOVE THE VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN ACT FORWARD The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) needs to be reauthorized to ensure the continuation of vital, life-saving programs and laws. It was the first piece of American legislation that recognized the pervasive nature of domestic violence,
Read more

Mini-Budget Update-Supporting the American Community Survey

By MB -
Image
(via The Census Project ) Next Tuesday, June 19 is an important date to mark on your calendar. The Congressional Joint Economic Committee is holding a public hearing on the economic impact of eliminating the American Community Survey (ACS) at 2:30 p.m., in Room 210 of the Canon House Office Building. Witnesses that will be speaking in opposition to the move to eliminate the ACS are Vincent Barabba, former director of the Census Bureau in two GOP administrations and Ken Simonson, chief economist for the Association of General Contractors and also representing the National Association of Business Economists. It is very important that we pack the congressional hearing room! If you cannot come, please urge your colleages to come. If you represent a non-DC organization contact your friends in Washington and urge them to attend. Also on Tuesday of next week some of our congressional supporters will be holding a noon press conference in the so-called House Triangle right outside the Cap
Read more

Overlooked and Undercounted: Struggling to Make Ends Meet in Pennsylvania

By -
Image
Census data tells us that 13% of Pennsylvania households live in poverty. In reality, even more households don’t have the income they need to reach self-sufficiency. One in four Pennsylvania households – over 846,000 – lack enough income to cover just the necessities. Since 1997, PathWays PA has worked with Dr. Diana Pearce and the University of Washington to calculate  The Self-Sufficiency Standard for Pennsylvania . Over the last 23 years,  The Self-Sufficiency Standard of Pennsylvania  has documented the continuing increase in the real cost of living, illuminating the economic crunch experienced by so many families today. Since 2010, PathWays PA and the University of Washington have also issued three versions of the  Overlooked and Undercounted  report, which looks at the number of households living above and below self-sufficiency. You can now use the interactive materials below to find out what it takes to be self-sufficient in your county. Click here  to read the 2020 O
Read more