Dems’ Raw Deal for American Families

December 7, 2011

Failure of Dems’ Economic Policies Leads to Increasing Food Stamps, Dumping Middle Class Families Into Medicaid

Food stamp use in America continues to rise, as the struggling economy traps middle class Americans in a cycle of poverty—yet another tragic consequence of the Democrats’ failed policies.
And the economic pain Democrats have inflicted on middle class families looks to get worse as those families see the quality of their healthcare decline. The Democrats’ government healthcare takeover would lead to millions of middle class Americans being forced into the Medicaid rolls as employers drop coverage for their employees.
Despite this misery, Democrats are busy spinning the failure of their job-destroying policies rather than abandoning the very actions that are hurting the economy and destroying opportunities for the middle class.

BACKGROUND

Food stamp use in America continues to rise, as the struggling economy traps middle class Americans in a cycle of poverty—yet another tragic consequence of the Democrats’ failed policies:

“FOOD STAMP USE ON THE RISE”: “Food-stamp use jumped in the U.S. in September as 11 states tapped into the program for disaster assistance.

“Food stamp rolls have risen 7.8% in the past year, the Department of Agriculture reported, though the pace of growth has slowed from the depths of the recession.”(Phil Izzo, “Food Stamp Use on the Rise,” The Wall Street Journal, 12/6/2011)

46.3 MILLION AMERICANS ON FOOD STAMPS, 15% OF THE POPULATION: “The number of recipients in the food stamp program, formally known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), rose to 46.3 million, or 15% of the population, in part due to disaster assistance tied to the destruction and flooding caused by Hurricane Irene. Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Virginia all received aid for disaster assistance. Use in New Jersey alone soared by nearly 33% in the wake of the storm.

“But use increased in states that weren’t receiving aid. Minnesota, Hawaii, Iowa, Colorado, Alaska, California, Nevada, Florida, New Mexico and Georgia all saw year-over-year jumps in use by over 10%.” (Phil Izzo, “Food Stamp Use on the Rise,” The Wall Street Journal, 12/6/2011)

“U.S. JOB CREATION FLAT IN NOVEMBER”: “Job market conditions in the United States were flat in November, as Gallup’s Job Creation Index remained at +14, similar to the range seen since May. This is another indication that Friday’s sharp drop to 8.6% in the government’s U.S. unemployment rate may be overstated.”(Dennis Jacobe, “U.S. Job Creation Flat in November,” Gallup, 12/6/2011)

UNDEREMPLOYMENT HIGHER THAN A YEAR AGO, EMPLOYERS HIRING PART-TIME WORKERS FOR HOLIDAY SEASON: ” ‘UNDEREMPLOYMENT’ AT 18 PERCENT – Data from Gallup suggest that recent job growth includes a lot of part-time slots for people who would rather be working full time: ‘Underemployment, a measure that combines the percentage of workers who are unemployed with the percentage working part time but wanting full-time work, is 18.1% in November, as measured by Gallup without seasonal adjustment. That is up from 17.8% a month ago and 17.2% a year ago. Many employers appear to have chosen to hire part-time rather than full-time employees for this holiday season.'” (Ben White, Politico’s “Morning Money”, 12/2/2011)

And the economic pain Democrats have inflicted on middle class families looks to get worse as those families see the quality of their healthcare decline. The Democrats’ government healthcare takeover would lead to millions of middle class Americans being forced into the Medicaid rolls as employers drop coverage for their employees:

GOVERNMENT HEALTHCARE TAKEOVER TO ADD UP TO 23 MILLION NEW PEOPLE INTO MEDICAID: “The actuary’s office said the 3 million early retirees who would become eligible for Medicaid are on top of an estimated 16 million to 20 million people that Obama’s law would already bring into the program, by opening it to childless adults with incomes near the poverty level. Federal taxpayers will cover all of the initial cost of the expansion.” (“A Glitch in Obamacare Could Give Middle Class Insurance Coverage Intended for the Poor,” Associated Press, 6/21/2011)

CMS ACTUARIES: SOME FAMILIES TO BE FORCED INTO MEDICAID AS EMPLOYERS DROP COVERAGE: “The actuaries also caution that some workers and their families will be forced into Medicaid when large employers drop coverage and choose to pay the $2,000 penalty, a sum far smaller than the expense of providing what the Obama law deems ‘essential’ coverage.” (Betsy McCaughey, “Health ‘Reform’ Has Sent Costs Soaring,” New York Post, 9/12/2011)

BUT STATES ARE ALREADY “SHARPLY LIMITING HOSPITAL STAYS” TO “CONTROL RISING COSTS” OF MEDICAID: “A growing number of states are sharply limiting hospital stays under Medicaid to as few as 10 days a year to control rising costs of the health insurance program for the poor and disabled.” (Phil Galewitz, “More States Limiting Medicaid Hospital Stays,” USA Today, 10/24/2011)

MOVES COULD “RESTRICT ACCESS TO CARE” AND “LEAD TO HIGHER CHARGES FOR PRIVATELY INSURED PATIENTS,” A SITUATION THAT WILL ONLY GET WORSE: “Advocates for the needy and hospital executives say the moves will restrict access to care, force hospitals to absorb more costs and lead to higher charges for privately insured patients.” (Phil Galewitz, “More States Limiting Medicaid Hospital Stays,” USA Today, 10/24/2011)

Despite this misery, Democrats are busy spinning the failure of their job-destroying policies rather than abandoning the very actions that are hurting the economy and destroying opportunities for the middle class:

“OBAMA SETS CAMPAIGN THEME: MIDDLE CLASS AT STAKE,” DESPITE POLICIES THAT HURT MIDDLE CLASS: “Declaring the American middle class in jeopardy, President Barack Obama on Tuesday outlined a populist economic vision that will drive his re-election bid, insisting the United States must reclaim its standing as a country in which everyone can prosper if provided ‘a fair shot and a fair share.'” (Ben Feller, “Obama Sets Campaign Theme: Middle Class at Stake,” Associated Press, 12/6/2011)

“NATIONAL DEBT CROSSES $15 TRILLION MARK”: “The total public debt outstanding was listed at $15,033,607,255,920.32 on Wednesday afternoon, with two thirds of that debt held by the public and one third made up of intergovernmental holdings.” (Brian Montopoli, “National Debt Crosses $15 Trillion Mark,”CBS News, 11/16/2011)

“CBO: STIMULUS HURTS ECONOMY IN THE LONG RUN“: “CBO said that while the Recovery Act boosted the economy in the short run, the extra debt that the stimulus piled up ‘crowds out’ private investment and ‘will reduce output slightly in the long run — by between 0 and 0.2 percent after 2016.'” (Stephen Dinan, “CBO: Stimulus Hurts Economy in the Long Run,” The Washington Times, 11/22/2011)

99 DEMOCRATS NOW RALLYING AROUND OBAMA’S CALLS FOR MORE STIMULUS: (Thomas.gov, Accessed 12/1/2011)

WHITE HOUSE SAYS “WE CAN’T WAIT” FOR MORE STIMULUS, EVEN THOUGH THE FIRST ONE FAILED: “President Obama’s growing impatience with Congress’ refusal to ‘pass this bill now’ has launched a new approach — bypassing Congress by taking actions that don’t require congressional support and insisting that ‘We Can’t Wait’ for any more delays on Capitol Hill.” (“President Begins ‘We Can’t Wait’ Economic Push,” Fox News, 10/24/2011)