Tag Archives: tax

What the new tax bill may mean for older adults

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Photo: Neil Moralee via Flickr

What does the just-passed Republican tax bill mean for most older adults? It’s mostly bad news, advocates say. Many provisions are likely to lead to more out of pocket costs, an especially serious problem for those on fixed incomes.

Worse, according to a coalition of more than 50 advocacy groups, the new law now jeopardizes Medicare, Medicaid and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits. It also puts at serious risk for future funding cuts a variety of home and community programs that enable older adults to age in place, as well as discretionary programs such as Meals on Wheels. Continue reading →

Liz Seegert is an independent health journalist and AHCJ’s topic leader on aging. She covers older adults, baby boomers, health policy, and social determinants of health, as well as many other health issues. Her bylines include stories for PBS/NextAvenue.org. the American Journal of Nursing, TIME Health, Medscape, Consumer Reports, and Medical Economics, as well as dozens of other trade and mainstream media. Her articles have been syndicated in Forbes.com, the Los Angeles Times, the Hartford Courant, the Saturday Evening Post and other major outlets.

What the new tax law likely will and won’t do to the nation’s health care

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Photo: 401(K) 2012 via Flickr

The House and Senate this week finally passed major tax reform and sent their bill to President Donald Trump for his signature. We’ve posted a revised tip sheet about the legislation that reflects final provisions impacting health care issues.

In general, the final bill looks more like the Senate version than the House’s where health and the health sector are concerned. That is generally good for health care consumers, providers and universities, except – and it’s a big, big except – for an effective repeal of the individual mandate. Continue reading →

Contributing editor to Politico Magazine and former health care editor-at-large, Politico, Commonwealth Fund journalist in residence and assistant lecturer at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Making sense of how the new tax bill will impact health care

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Photo by Sean Stayte via flickr.

The House and the Senate both have passed tax bills which have provisions that will deeply affect health care, ranging from the repeal of the individual mandate to repeal of a tax credit meant to help businesses comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Since the bills are not identical, the final legislation must first be negotiated in a conference committee. Not all the provisions will survive, although the final bill most likely will more closely resemble the Senate version, which includes repealing the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate. Continue reading →

Contributing editor to Politico Magazine and former health care editor-at-large, Politico, Commonwealth Fund journalist in residence and assistant lecturer at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Soda taxes making headlines again

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The debate on soda taxes is back, this time in Philadelphia.

City leaders there want to charge 1.5 cents for every ounce of soda sold in a move aimed at not just discouraging sugary drink consumption but also to help fund a range of initiatives such as expanded prekindergarten and library renovations, according to media reports. Continue reading →

Susan Heavey, (@susanheavey) a Washington, D.C.-based journalist, is AHCJ’s topic leader on social determinants of health and curates related material at healthjournalism.org. She welcomes questions and suggestions on resources and tip sheets at determinants@healthjournalism.org.

Lessons learned in covering passage of a soda tax

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Tom Lochner

In the weeks leading up to the Nov. 4 elections, Tom Lochner covered the debate over soda tax questions on the ballots in Berkeley and San Francisco. When the results became clear, he reported on the outcome for the Contra Costa Times.

In this Q&A, Lochner offers his insights into how the historic vote in Berkeley unfolded, why the soda tax didn’t pass in San Francisco and he shares a few words of wisdom for reporters who may find themselves covering soda tax debates in their own communities.

Berkeley’s penny-an-ounce tax passed in spite of heavy opposition from the American Beverage Association. Bourque predicted a sea change in the air. “The tides have turned on Big Soda.”

In this Q&A, Lochner offers his insights into how the historic vote in Berkeley unfolded and he shares a few words of wisdom with reporters who may find themselves covering soda tax debates in their own communities.

Mary Otto, a Washington, D.C.-based freelancer, is AHCJ's topic leader on oral health and the author of "Teeth: The Story of Beauty, Inequality, and the Struggle for Oral Health in America." She can be reached at mary@healthjournalism.org.