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Weekly Round Up: May 4 – May 8, 2009
This week the center documented the loss of insurance coverage and jobs, looked at education entrepreneurs, and reported on the growing problem of wildfires in the West.
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Government Affairs
HEALTH CARE
Recession Squeezes Health Insurance
The health care crisis continues as more and more Americans lose their health insurance every day, wrote Nayla Kazzi, including many working adults. And Ben Furnas showed that the whole country is feeling the effects as every state has experienced a dramatic increase in uninsured rates. Even those who have insurance may not always be covered; a new CAP Action report explained why transparency is necessary for consumers to know how much protection their insurance offers them.
EDUCATION
Stimulating Excellence
"Stimulating Excellence," a joint report between CAP, the American Enterprise Institute, New Profit, Inc., and Public Impact, examined how to bring innovation to education through entrepreneurship. Chancellor of D.C Schools Michelle Rhee and group of experts attended the release of the report to discuss their real-life experiences with innovation, entrepreneurship, and education. CAP also highlighted 14 education entrepreneurs that are making a difference.
ECONOMY
Unemployed—and Staying that Way
The grim labor market picture shows an economy mired in recession for some time to come, wrote Heather Boushey, and an infographic from Boushey illustrated the continued job losses for men, with women increasingly becoming the primary breadwinners in millions of families. As the recession deepens, Joy Moses observed, a good lawyer may be all that stands between the poor and penury.
ENERGY
Wildfires Heat Up in the West
Wildfires are heating up in the western United States, and Tom Kenworthy explained how new research shows these fires are not only visible manifestations of climate change but could also be contributing to it. In an Ask the Expert interview Kari Manlove discussed why the United States should help developing countries adapt to the effects of climate change.
Conservatives in Congress are pointing to a recent report on Spain’s renewable energy program and its effects on the economy to argue against the United States adopting a similar strategy, but James Heintz and Andrew Light explained why their claims are inaccurate.
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