8 States Allow Insurance Companies to Use Domestic Violence as Pre-Existing Condition
Posted on October 4, 2009
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The states are
Some of the states, particularly
At least one of the health care bills circulating in Congress includes a specific federal prohibition on the use of domestic violence as a pre-existing condition. Other bills include blanket bans on pre-existing conditions.
Though domestic violence as a pre-existing condition isn’t thought to be as widespread as it once was, lawmakers say it’s yet another example of the need to overhaul the health care system.
“This is insane,” said Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., who’s been trying to convince Congress to address the issue for roughly a decade.
Murray said she couldn’t remember exactly when she first learned of it, but sometime in the 1990s she recalls a private conversation she had with a woman who broke down as she explained that she couldn’t flee an abusive relationship because her children were covered under her husband’s health care plan and she couldn’t get her own. Another woman told
“It infuriates me an insurance executive can sit in his safe world and decide how to make money,”
First lady Michelle Obama also took note, saying in a speech last month that insurance companies continue to practice gender discrimination.
Much of the evidence that domestic violence has been a factor in denying coverage is dated.
An informal survey by the House Judiciary Committee in 1994 found that half of the 16 largest insurers in the country considered domestic violence in deciding whether to approve health coverage. The
Lisa Codispoti, senior counsel for the National Women’s
“We don’t know how many insurance companies still have that policy,” she said, “but we are talking about an industry that once charged a race-based premium.”
Codispoti said that while insurance companies didn’t mention domestic violence outright in health policy applications, they could piece it together from such things as medical records.
A spokesman for an insurance industry trade group, Robert Zirkelbach, said he wasn’t aware of any companies that used domestic violence as a pre-existing condition.
“We believe strongly that no one should be denied coverage because they are victims of domestic violence,” he said.
Yet Murray and others said there was plenty of anecdotal evidence to suggest that the practice continued.
“We know there are abuses,” said Kansas Insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger, who heads a health care task force for the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. Many states have adopted a model law written by the association that prohibits the denial of health insurance because of domestic abuse or other pre-existing conditions.
“We don’t develop models unless there is a need,” Praeger said. “It’s not a huge problem, but it got the commissioners’ attention.”
“We certainly don’t allow domestic violence to be used as a pre-existing condition,” said Kristin Milam, a spokeswoman for the
Codispoti said, however, that the
On Capitol Hill, Republican aides privately dismiss that flap as a “red herring” drummed up by liberal bloggers.
“Tell that to a woman who has faced this,”
The issue was first reported by The Huffington Post.
“Clearly, the insurance industry influenced that vote,”
The Republicans who voted against the measure had received nearly $6 million in campaign contributions from insurance companies, health care providers, the pharmaceutical industry and health care product manufacturers in the years leading up the vote, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan group that tracks campaign contributions.
The 10 Republican senators included North Carolina Sen. Richard Burr, Georgia Sen. Johnny Isakson and Kansas Sen. Pat Roberts.
The chairman of the committee at the time, Republican Sen. Michael Enzi of Wyoming, said that if it were a problem, more oversight — not a new law — was needed, according to a transcript of the hearing.
Most recently, Enzi was one of six members of the Senate Finance Committee who spent months trying to negotiate a bipartisan health care bill. The bill that eventually emerged has no Republican support.
Enzi now supports eliminating pre-existing conditions, including any that involve domestic violence, Michael Mahaffey, a spokesman for the senator, said in an e-mail.
“Rather than doing this one condition at a time, Senator Enzi is going to keep working to end all discrimination based on pre-existing conditions,” Mahaffey wrote.
Burr said in a statement that his record on domestic violence, including his support for the Violence Against Women Act, “is clear and consistent.”
Burr said states were responsible for regulating insurance markets, but he added that it was “deplorable” to deny coverage to victims of domestic violence.
“Individual insurance markets are regulated by state governments and are thus subject to state law,” he said.
Annual Homelessness Report Released
Posted on July 9, 2009
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Today, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) released the Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR). The AHAR showed that that the total number of people experiencing homelessness is flat, but rates of family and chronic homelessness have slightly risen. The AHAR is based on 2008 data.
The AHAR is released annually by HUD, and the one released today includes data from one-night homelessness counts that were conducted by communities in January 2008 combined with administrative data collected throughout 2008.
Arizona’s Homeless Schoolchildren Up 18%
Posted on July 4, 2009
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The number of Arizona’s homeless schoolchildren has increased nearly 18 percent in the past year to an unprecidented 25,000 children — enough to populate a small to mid-sized community. According to education officials, this increase was driven by the soaring rate of unemployment and foreclosures. Parents lose their jobs, then their home, and families lose their stability. Without a permanent home, families are forced to live with friends, in hotels, campgrounds, shelters, or out of cars.
“We are now seeing families who come from middle-class America,” said Sean Schubert, Peoria, Arizona Unified School District’s liaison for the homeless. Peoria is situated on the northwest boundary of Phoenix. “Now, many of those people are currently facing very challenging situations. What we all need to understand is that this can happen to anyone.”
In the 2007-08 school year, Arizona had the seventh-largest homeless student population in the nation, only behind much larger states such as California and New York, according to the National Center for Homeless Education.
Since then, another 4,000 students were tossed into homelessness primarily because of rising unemployment and foreclosures.
Homeless students are more likely to perform below grade level and the constant moving from temporary home to temporary home only worsens matters. Children are often ashamed or afraid to tell friends and teachers, further isolating them from the stability they desperately need.
School districts and charter schools are racing to meet a Friday deadline to apply for a federal stimulus grant. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act provided Arizona $1.9 million to give homeless children — as young as preschool age — equal access to free public education, according to the Arizona Department of Education.
So far, only 25 of the 187 eligible K-12 districts and charter schools have been awarded funds. Districts qualify for funds based on the number of homeless students from the previous school year. Many districts say they will use the funds to provide supplies and transportation to students who often have difficulty getting to school because the family may move frequently.
“We hear daily on the news how the Dow is doing, but less attention is being paid to how the recession is impacting our kids,” said Phillip Lovell, vice president of the national children’s advocacy group First Focus. “We need a significant policy response to solve this problem. Everyone needs to be involved.”
World Hunger Reaches 1 Billion Mark
Posted on June 20, 2009
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Citing the global financial meltdown, United Nations food officials said on Friday, June 19, 2009, that the world’s hungry has now reached a grim milestone of over one billion people. The U.N. estimates that hunger now affects one in six people around the world. The U.N. Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) called the conditions of war, drought, political instability and high food prices a “devastating combination for the world’s most vulnerable.”
Compared to last year’s figures, there are 100 million more people who are hungry, meaning they consume fewer than 1,800 calories a day, although that calorie count varies slightly from country to country.
FAO’s Director-General Jacques Diouf said, “No part of the world is immune. All world regions have been affected by the rise of food insecurity.” The number of hungry people is estimated to have reached 1.02 billion — up eleven percent from last year’s 91.5 million. The FAO said it based its estimate from analysis by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
FAO said that the number of hungry people is growing more quickly than the growth of the world’s population — a trend than began two year ago. Most of the world’s undernourished live in developing countries, but all regions of the world have registered two-digit increases from last year.
The crisis not only affects the quantity of available food, but also the quality of nutrition. Families living in poverty tend to buy cheaper, calorie-laden but nutrient-poor, grain-based foods, at the expense of meat, dairy products and other expensive and protein-based foods.
The FAO reports that the world’s most populous region, Asia and the Pacific, has the largest number of hungry people — 642 million, up 10.5 percent from last year. Sub-Saharan Africa counts 265 million undernourished, an 11.8 percent increase. Even in the developed world, undernourishment is a growing concern, with 15 million in all and a 15.4 percent increase, making it the sharpest increase around the world.
Posted on February 26, 2009
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President’s 2010 Budget Proposal Boosts Affordable Housing and Homelessness Assistance
Together with Homelessness Prevention Fund through Economic Recovery Bill and Increases in 2009 Homelessness Appropriations, Budget Represents Significant Federal Investment towards Ending Homelessness
“We are extremely supportive of the Administration’s focus on affordable housing and on preventing and ending homelessness. This is especially important during the current economic crisis when so many families and individuals are losing their homes each day,” said
The 2010 budget would increase HUD funding by nearly 20 percent, from $40.1 billion to $47.5 billion.
The budget would also focus on ending veteran homelessness by expanding the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) services to help maintain stable housing for veterans who are at risk of homelessness, while providing housing with supportive services for those veterans in need of additional assistance. According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, approximately 154,000 veterans are homeless on any given night.
NAEH Statement on HUD’s Homelessness Grants
Posted on February 19, 2009
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Statement by
President and CEO of the National
Prepared in Response to the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Continuum of Care Grantee Awards
“The housing and supportive services provided through this funding are critical for stemming a rise in homelessness, especially now in the midst of the economic recession,” said
For more information on The National
National Conference on Ending Family Homelessness
Posted on February 11, 2009
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 11, 2009
Contact:
OVER 500 GATHER IN
Event Coincides with Senate Passage of $1.5 Billion for Homelessness Prevention and Rehousing through Economic Stimulus Bill
Washington — Over 500 homeless advocates from across the country—including agency leaders, government officials, service providers, and homeless people—will gather in San Diego, California to participate in the National Alliance to End Homelessness’ fifth annual National
According to a report released last month by the National Alliance to End Homelessness, 83,935 families with children experience homelessness on any given night. Data has not yet been compiled to estimate the number of families who were homeless nationally in 2008, but many communities have reported significant increases in their local homeless population since the economic recession began.
“I know I speak on behalf of many when I say I’m thrilled and encouraged by the unprecedented increase in funding for homelessness prevention and rapid re-housing through the economic stimulus bill,” said
The federal funding will soon reach cities and states where it will be used to provide short term housing assistance, relocation funding, housing searches, security and utility deposits, mortgage payments, rent payments, and case management for those at risk of or already experiencing homelessness.
The State of
“Hopefully with the additional funding we’ll be able to continue making progress in ending family homelessness by implementing Ten Year Plans to End Homelessness that emphasize a need for rapid re-housing for families,” Roman said.
Over 300 cities across the
According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness’ Homelessness Counts report, family homelessness had decreased by 15 percent nationally from 2005 to 2007.
“We’ve proven that access to affordable housing is the way to reduce and ultimately end homelessness,” Roman said. “That’s why, in addition to the $1.5 billion, the federal government must allot funding to the National Housing Trust Fund in order to build, rehabilitate and preserve 1.5 million units of housing for the lowest income families over the next 10 years. And, while the vast majority of families move out of homelessness quickly with only temporary assistance, there must also be an increase in the number of available housing vouchers for low income families who simply cannot afford housing.”
According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, studies have shown that families exiting homelessness with a housing subsidy are 21 times more likely to remain stably housed than families exiting a shelter without assistance. Unfortunately, there are millions of low-income families eligible for housing subsidies that do not receive them because of a lack of funding.
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For more information on The National
Current Studies Paint a Grim Picture
Posted on February 4, 2009
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Below is a startling report from the National Alliance to End Homelessness, released January 15, 2009. This is only partial information. Please watch here for more.
Homelessness looms as potential outcome of recession
Recessions mean more homelessness, and the current recession is no exception. Increasing numbers of unemployed people are unable to afford rent, and charities and local governments are unable to keep up. We are already seeing tent cities, shelters turning people away, cities reporting increased numbers of homeless people, and local schools struggling to establish educational continuity for homeless children. Without intervention, the situation is only likely to get worse.
Based on estimates of the depth likely to be reached by the current recession, 1.5 million additional Americans are likely to experience homelessness over the next two years (see appendix on methodology below), over and above the number who usually become homeless. This means more trauma for children and adults, more dislocation from schools and communities, and more expenses for local shelter systems. It means more people disconnected from the mainstream of
This is not an inevitable result, however. In recent years, know-how about addressing homelessness has increased rapidly, as communities have shifted from merely managing the problem, to focused efforts to reduce and even end homelessness. A small number of leading communities have substantially reduced the number of homeless people, using proven interventions that prevent and quickly end homelessness. Today, the National Alliance to End Homelessness is releasing Homelessness Counts: Changes in Homelessness from 2005 to 2007, showing that during favorable economic circumstances, these efforts reduced homelessness nationwide.
So far, the new approach to homelessness has not been brought to the scale necessary to deal with the current recession. If serious measures are taken to bring it to scale, the opportunity remains to prevent suffering and keep hundreds of thousands of families from succumbing.
Without effective intervention, the recession will mean approximately 1.5 million additional Americans will experience homelessness in 2009 and 2010.
Recessions hit poor households significantly harder than others. Those households who are already at risk of homelessness are put at even greater risk due to the unavoidable consequences of economic decline. There are many studies that link the changes in homelessness to changes in unemployment, poverty and “deep poverty” (those with incomes below one-half of the poverty line). The projections made in this document rely on the best available data and analysis of these relationships.
Projections indicate that if the current recession unfolds as expected, the number of persons in deep poverty will increase by approximately 5.4 million. Persons in deep poverty represent those who are most at risk of becoming homeless. Based on this projected increase, we estimate that approximately 866,000 additional Americans will experience homelessness at some point during each of the next two years. Some would be homeless in both years, so the total for both years combined is approximately 1.5 million people who will be homeless as a result of the recession, over and above the number who would experience homelessness under normal circumstances, unless effective countermeasures are adopted. Alternative analyses based on the relationship between unemployment and homelessness resulted in similar projections (see Appendix A). Using each of these indicators and their known association with increased rates of homelessness leads to a consistent conclusion:1.5 million additional Americans could experience homelessness at some point over the next two years.
Communities with comprehensive data show large increases in homelessness despite successful prevention and rehousing initiatives.
The recession is now over a year old, and data from local communities indicates that increases in homelessness have already begun, often despite effective interventions by pioneers in the field of reducing, preventing and ending homelessness. Without these interventions, the situation would undoubtedly be even worse.
Three communities that have developed systems to track in close to real time the number of homeless people have made their recent results public. In all three, these systems indicate recent influxes in homelessness, despite pathbreaking work on finding housing as quickly as possible for homeless people.
- In
- In
Each of these communities is a national leader in developing innovative programs to prevent homelessness, and to rapidly rehouse families that do become homeless. There is no doubt that if it were not for these efforts, the increases in homelessness would be even worse. Unfortunately, the effects of the recession are in danger of overwhelming these programs unless communities receive assistance increasing their scale.
In addition, local media have reported sharp increases in the number of homeless people/families in other communities.
Even where ideal tracking systems do not exist, communities are noticing a number of indicators that homelessness is getting worse, including more people in shelters or turned away because shelters are full, more people sleeping on the streets, more people losing their apartments. National press coverage from USA Today, AP and Reuters, as well as local stories from the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Boston Globe, and other media outlets showed homelessness increasing. Similar stories appeared in
An important story covered by ABC News, AP and local media focused on how increased homelessness is affecting public schools. The U.S. Department of Education (DOE) is currently tallying the number of homeless students for the 2007-2008 school year. Already, the coordinator for the DOE’s homeless assistance program for school districts has said that every state that has reported their numbers has reported increases.
In late January, every community that receives HUD homelessness funding will be conducting a count of homeless people, both in shelter and on the streets. Results will not be officially reported to HUD until later in the year; but there are likely to be additional media reports of results in individual cities and states, including places that have developed a demonstrated capacity to conduct their counts accurately and reliably.
How recessions make homelessness worse – unemployment, support systems impoverished, state and local budget problems.
For most Americans who become homeless, the reasons relate to short-term economics – sudden and/or sustained unemployment leaves them unable to afford rent, and those who lack adequate support systems lose their housing. This may belie the stereotype of a homeless person as one who struggles with severe disabilities, sleeps outdoors, is completely disconnected from the job market, and remains homeless for long periods of time. While there are certainly homeless people who fit this description, repeated studies of who becomes homeless indicates that the former scenario is more typical.
By making jobs harder to come by and reducing household incomes dramatically, a severe recession increases the number of people with dire economic emergencies, including homelessness. This was powerfully illustrated in the early 1980s — the long, deep recession of that period, the first and only time since the Great Depression of the 1930s when unemployment exceeded 10 percent, brought about open, widespread homelessness for the first time in the memory of most Americans, and marked the beginning of the modern epidemic of homelessness in the United States.
Besides its effect on earnings for families who fall into homelessness, recessions also make it harder for familial and social support systems to step up and help a family in danger of becoming homeless. A family member who still has a job may have seen earnings cut, and may have already allowed other family members into her home so that she can not take in another. Charitable agencies may have difficulty securing donations. State and local governments see declining tax revenues, and since most are required to balance their budgets each year, relief programs may be cut.
In order to avoid a rapid and massive increase in homeless families and individuals around the country, communities will need assistance to take to scale the best approaches to preventing and rapidly ameliorating homelessness. For most homeless people, especially homeless families with children, this involves short-term, one-time help with financial assistance and social work. For a smaller number it will require more intensive assistance through longer-lasting rental subsidies such as the federal “Section 8” rent voucher program; backed up by additional investment in affordable housing.
Under current circumstances, the federal government is the only likely source of funding at a level sufficient to do the job. This would mean, for the two-year period beginning in early 2009, $2 billion for homelessness prevention and rapid rehousing; 400,000 additional Section 8 vouchers; and a substantial investment in the National Housing Trust Fund.
The estimated increase of 1.5 million homeless people represents the number of additional people who will be homeless during 2009 and 2010 because of the recession. The estimate is calculated by estimating the increase in the risk pool—in this case the number of people in deep poverty—and applying that percentage increase to estimates of the baseline number of homeless people. Deep poverty is the best predictor of homelessness for which data are readily available.
The baseline number of people who are homeless over the course of a year is estimated to be 2.5 million, with a lower bound of 1.6 million and an upper bound of 3.5 million.
The 1.6 million lower bound is derived from the Third Annual Homeless Assessment Report published by the Department of Housing and Urban Development in July 2008. The estimate is based on a sample of 98 communities that collected detailed information about people who used emergency shelter and transitional housing between October 1, 2006 and September 30, 2007. People who were homeless and living on the streets, in places not meant for human habitation, or in domestic violence shelters were not included in the estimate unless they also used an emergency shelter or transitional housing program.
The 3.5 million upper bound is derived from an estimate conducted by Urban Institute researchers Martha Burt and Laudan Aron based on the 1996 National Survey of Homeless Assistance Providers and Clients, which was conducted by the Census Bureau. Burt and Aron’s estimate ranged from 2.3 million to 3.5 million.
The estimated increase in the number of people in deep poverty is 4.5 million to 6.3 million with a midpoint of 5.4 million and is based on a November 24, 2008 analysis by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities titled Recession Could Cause Large Increases in Poverty and Push Millions Into Deep Poverty. This represents a 34.6 percent increase over the 15.6 million people in deep poverty in 2007 (Census estimate).
Applying the increase in deep poverty of 34.6 percent to the estimated number of homeless people over the course of a year (2.5 million) results in an estimate of 866,000 more homeless people in each of 2009 and 2010. Approximately 233,000 of those individuals are homeless in both years, so the estimated increase would be approximately 1.5 million for both years combined.
Applying the lowest factors (1.6 million homeless people over the course of a year, 4.5 million additional people in deep poverty) would result in an estimated increase of 730 thousand additional homeless people over the course of 2 years. Applying the highest factors (3.5 million homeless people over the course of a year, 6.3 million additional people in deep poverty) results in an estimated increase of 2.6 million.
Estimates were similar when calculated using projected increases in the unemployment rate.
Major factors that could lead to fewer people becoming homeless over the two year period include changes in the supply and affordability of rental housing, changes to safety net programs (unemployment insurance, TANF), improvement in the unemployment picture, and direct efforts to prevent homelessness, including homelessness prevention funding and funding for affordable housing production and assistance with rent.
New HUD Secretary
Posted on December 24, 2008
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President-elect Obama announced on Saturday that he has selected Shaun Donovan to be the new Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. Mr. Donovan is a former Commissioner of Housing Preservation and Development in
The National Alliance to End Homelessness applauds the selection of Shaun Donovan to be the Obama Administration’s Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
“The nation is in the midst of an unprecedented economic crisis sparked by, and still strongly linked to, housing. An older, but no less urgent crisis in housing affordability has threatened poor, low income and working people for decades; and has been largely unaddressed.
A visionary, brilliant, and practical leader is desperately needed to deal with these problems. Fortunately, President elect Obama has chosen such a leader in
I am extremely heartened by the selection of Shaun Donovan as Secretary-designate of the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. I can think of no one more suited and qualified to take on this critically important department, and am confident that under his leadership great progress will be made in addressing the housing finance crisis, and in ending homelessness.”
For more information, watch President-elect Obama’s Weekly Address at: http://change.gov/newsroom/entry/secretary_of_housing_and_urban_development_announced_in_weekly_address/
Homelessness Rising as Economy Slides
Posted on December 12, 2008
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Fri Dec 12, 2008 7:10pm EST
A survey by the U.S. Conference of Mayors showed that 19 of 25 cities saw an increase in homelessness in the 12 months to October, while four reported a drop and two cities lacked enough data for conclusive results.
On average, the cities in the survey saw a 12 percent rise in homelessness, the report said. Although the results do not cover all
Homeless advocates say families are flooding homeless shelters across the
“It’s very depressing because we have been making progress in getting it down in the past couple of years,” Nan Roman, president of the Washington-based National Alliance to End Homelessness, said in an interview.Demand for emergency food assistance rose in 20 of the 25 cities surveyed, the report added.
The report marks a reversal from a
She said the strain on budgets from the yearlong recession could make it difficult for cities to handle the increase.
“There is a crisis around families falling out into homelessness,” he said.
President-elect Barack Obama has spoken broadly about boosting affordable housing and restoring public housing subsidies but he has said little about how he will help low-income families made homeless by a worsening economy.
Homeless advocacy groups have called for targeted housing subsidies that help homeless families get back into more permanent accommodation as well as helping those on the brink of foreclosure.
(Additional reporting by Matt Bigg in
Recently
- 8 States Allow Insurance Companies to Use Domestic Violence as Pre-Existing Condition
- Annual Homelessness Report Released
- Arizona’s Homeless Schoolchildren Up 18%
- World Hunger Reaches 1 Billion Mark
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- NAEH Statement on HUD’s Homelessness Grants
- National Conference on Ending Family Homelessness
- Current Studies Paint a Grim Picture
- New HUD Secretary
- Homelessness Rising as Economy Slides