Children can’t vote or contribute to campaigns, but the issues that impact their lives will be decided by the choices we make this coming Tuesday when we head to the polls. Right now, children in Kentucky face a mountain of challenges: Kentucky leads the nation in the number of child deaths from abuse and neglect, places 6th in child poverty, and places 3rd in child obesity. Over the past three weeks we have used this [...]
What has been your experience with the recent/ongoing Medicaid managed care transition? Kentucky Voices for Health is monitoring the roll out of Medicaid managed care to over 500,000 Kentuckians. They are seeking input from consumers across the Commonwealth as to their experiences with the transition (good and bad). Examples include: Several individuals on waiver programs or in nursing homes, who will not be served through managed care, received enrollment letters Medicaid recipients who have not [...]
Families in Kentucky are worse off based on four of five key child care assistance policies, according to a report released today by the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC). Child care, which helps children, families, and communities prosper, comes at a high price, and many families are relying on child care assistance programs during our tough economic times. But, Kentucky’s families are vulnerable to losing ground due to federal budget cuts and the end of [...]
A big change is about take place for almost a million Kentucky families and health care providers – the expansion of Medicaid managed care, scheduled for an October 1 rollout. What this change means is that the state will no longer be managing the day to day logistics of the Medicaid program – four companies will. This will impact who families call to get their questions answered, who recruits and pays doctors, and how much [...]
Over the last decade, the number of uninsured Kentuckians has increased by 3.1 percentage points, which mirrors trends in other states. According to the new Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey (CPS), roughly 1 in 6, or 17.5 percent of people in Kentucky had no health coverage in 2009 and 2010. Across the country, 18.3 percent of the population lacked health coverage in 2009-2010. In contrast, government investment in health care through programs like Medicaid and [...]
Today, the Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children partners introduce the 2012 Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children Agenda. The agenda outlines the issues facing Kentucky’s children and families today and describes the policy solutions that have been identified by advocates from across the state to improve child well-being in the Commonwealth. To join the effort to make Kentucky the best place to be kid, sign on to be an official Blueprint Partner today! You can fill out the [...]
I feel as though I’ve become a bit of a broken record lately – at least when it comes to our monthly Kentucky Economic Watch. The recession has ended, but Kentuckians are still suffering. SNAP is up, unemployment is down, and state revenues are improving. This has been the case since May, and it all continued to play out in July. This time, I’d like to take a closer look at the mechanics of the [...]
Often, our work at KYA cuts across sectors. We talk about the juvenile justice system, and we find ourselves taking into account alternative education programs. We talk about health, and we find ourselves talking about larger economic well-being issues (for an example of the latter, you can see our most recent publication on Medicaid Managed Care Programs in Kentucky). The idea of taking two issues hand-in-hand is not a new one. The Robert Wood Johnson [...]
Experts agree that breastfeeding provides the best nutrition for infants and is associated with numerous positive outcomes for both babies and mothers. Yet, Kentucky has the 5th lowest rate in the nation of babies who were ever breastfed at just over half (57.8%) of Kentucky children born in 2008. We have actually made progress from two years ago when we were second to last, however there is still plenty of room for improvement. What’s the [...]
Kentucky Youth Advocates recently signed on to the following letter from the First Focus Campaign for Children, asking President Obama and Congressional Leadership to keep children safe when finalizing a deal to raise the debt ceiling. Simply put, cuts to the children’s budget hurts kids, and only makes a dent in the deficit. We are looking for Kentucky organizations who are also interested in adding their name to the letter! Dear Mr. President and Congressional [...]