Casino taxes won’t make up cuts to local governments, study finds
For immediate release Contact Zach Schiller, 216.361.9801 Full report Download release New tax revenue from the four casinos opening in Ohio will make up only a fraction of the cuts that local governments recently sustained because of slashed revenue from the state and the impending end of the estate tax, according to a new […]
More young Ohioans have health insurance
Laura Englehart The number of young adults with health insurance in Ohio has increased more than 5 percent since 2009, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. The Affordable Care Act is credited for the uptick in Ohioans 18 to 25 years old with insurance. Ohio and 36 other states saw improvements in the number of insured young […]
Housing market might be on the rebound, but foreclosure and negative equity rates still high
H. Sparling ZANESVILLE — It’s part of the American Dream: a little house with a white picket fence. But for more than a quarter of local homeowners, that dream isn’t worth much anymore. In Muskingum County, 26 percent of homes are “underwater” or “upside-down,” meaning the owner owes more on the mortgage than the home […]
Ohio reducing capacity to respond to mass layoffs, plant closings, research brief finds
For immediate release Contact: Hannah Halbert, 614.221.4505 Full report Download release Despite a troubling number of mass layoffs in the state, Ohio is reducing its capacity to rapidly respond to layoffs and plant closings, according to a brief released today by the nonpartisan research institute, Policy Matters Ohio. The state did not renew its […]
1 in 10 in Ohio without checking, savings accounts
Cornelius Frolik Almost one in 10 households in Ohio do not have a checking or savings account, and consumers are increasingly relying on some fee-heavy alternative financial services, according to a new federal study and interviews with experts. More U.S. consumers are shunning banks and other insured depositories, and these people are more likely to […]
New Census data: Young-adult health coverage up in Ohio, child poverty rates hold steady at shockingly high rate in cities
Data released today from the American Community Survey show a solid increase in health insurance coverage for Ohio’s young adults, an initial benefit of the federal Affordable Care Act.
Liberty for Sale: Should Ohio inmates be commodities in a for-profit venture?
German Lopez In 1997, the Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) opened a private prison in Youngstown, Ohio. The Northeast Ohio Correctional Center was to hold out-of-state prisoners with the promise of profits and tax revenue for Youngstown, a largely industrial city southeast of Cleveland that had struggled economically since its steel industry went downhill in […]
Energy disclosure policies address market failure for efficiency upgrades
For immediate release Contact: Amanda Woodrum, 330.780.8321 Full report Investment in the energy efficiency of our homes and businesses saves money and helps the environment. But because energy-use information is rarely available, the market for energy efficiency doesn’t work and few people are making smart investments. Recently, however, disclosure policies that encourage or require the […]
Are charter schools really making the grade?
Margo Kissell at the Dayton Daily News put together a thorough review of charters — publicly funded, privately run schools — for Sunday’s paper. It acknowledges both the success stories and the challenges facing Ohio’s charter sector. In the past 15 years, some public charter schools have shined as examples of what they were intended […]
Hanauer says yes to Medicaid expansion on Feagler & Friends
Question: Should Ohio take action that will secure health care for up to 900,000 more working Ohioans, bring some $17.3 billion into Ohio, save up to $2.3 billion in state spending, create about 50,000 jobs in Ohio, and have the federal government foot the entire bill for three years and 90 percent of it forever?
Breaking the fall
This recent Toledo Blade editorial cites our analysis of the recent Census release, which showed that “poverty rates remain higher and household incomes lower than they were a few years ago, while income inequality is widening. That’s another sign that a weak economic recovery still hasn’t lifted most families in Ohio and the nation.” Median […]
Ohio can’t afford to opt out of Medicaid expansion
For immediate release Contact Wendy Patton, 614.582.0048 Full report Download release Much to gain from saying yes, analysis finds Expanding Medicaid to cover more uninsured Ohioans would use federal funds to support a healthier Ohio, bringing billions of dollars to the state and cutting health care costs, according to a new analysis released today […]