Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Attention Taxpayers: Walmart, McDonald's Workers Get Large Share Of Federal Aid Programs
The Washington Post: Walmart And McDonald’s Have The Most Workers On Food Stamps And Medicaid, New Study Shows
A sizable number of the recipients of federal aid programs such as Medicaid and food stamps are employed by some of the biggest and more profitable companies in the United States, chief among them Walmart and McDonald’s, according to a new report from Congress’s nonpartisan watchdog. The Government Accountability Office undertook the study at the behest of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) to answer questions about the relationship between employers and the federal assistance programs. The report draws on February data from agencies in 11 states that administer Medicaid and the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, better known as SNAP, or food stamps. (Rosenberg, 11/18)
The Washington Post: 12 Million Americans Will Lose Their Unemployment Benefits If Congress Fails To Act, According To Report
Deadlines set by Congress early in the pandemic will result in about 12 million Americans losing unemployment insurance by the year’s end, according to a report released Wednesday — a warning about the sharp toll that inaction in Washington could exact on the economic health of both individual households and the economy at large. According to the report from unemployment researchers Andrew Stettner and Elizabeth Pancotti, those Americans will lose their unemployment benefits the day after Christmas — more than half of the 21.1 million people currently on the benefits — due to deadlines Congress chose when it passed the Cares Act in March amid optimism the pandemic would be short-lived. (Rosenberg, 11/18)
The Hill: 2 In 3 Say Coronavirus Relief Should Be Top Priority For Biden In First 100 Days: Poll
Two-thirds of registered voters say a coronavirus relief package should be the top priority for President-elect Joe Biden in his first 100 days in office in a new Politico-Morning Consult poll released Wednesday. The push for a relief bill comes from voters of both parties, with 78 percent of Democrats and 53 percent of Republicans saying it should be a top priority at the start of a Biden administration. (Axelrod, 11/18)
Also —
NPR: These City Maps Show The Current Health Impacts Of Redlining From Decades Ago
The lingering harms of racist lending policies known as redlining are apparent today. Researchers created a set of interactive maps allowing you to explore the current impacts in your city. Torey Edmonds has lived in the same house in an African-American neighborhood of the East End of Richmond, Va., for all of her 61 years. When she was a little girl, she says her neighborhood was a place of tidy homes with rose bushes and fruit trees, and residents had ready access to shops like beauty salons, movie theaters and several grocery stores. (Godoy, 11/19)
