Latest news with #FederalPovertyLevel
Business Wire
13 hours ago
- Business
- Business Wire
Illinois American Water Expands Income-Based Discount Program
BELLEVILLE, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Illinois American Water is increasing the income threshold for customers to receive assistance through its Income-Based Discount Program, beginning July 1, 2025. The program aims to support more customers paying their monthly water and/or wastewater bills. 'Our goal is to make water and wastewater service affordable to our customers while continuing to make strategic investments in our water and wastewater infrastructure.' 'The expansion of the Illinois American Water Income-Based Discount Program will help our residential customers who need financial help the most,' said Rebecca Losli, president, Illinois American Water. 'Our goal is to make water and wastewater service affordable to our customers while continuing to make strategic investments in our water and wastewater infrastructure.' Illinois American Water has partnered with Dollar Energy since August 2023 on the income-based discount program. As part of the program, approved water and/or wastewater customers receive a monthly discount on their water and/or wastewater bill. Starting July 1, 2025, the Income-Based Discount Program eligibility threshold is moving from 150% of the Federal Poverty Level to 300% of the Federal Poverty Level. The expansion includes moving from a flat 70% discount on the volumetric/usage charge portion of the bill to a four-tiered approach that provides greater discounts to our customers who need assistance. The four tiers, which can be viewed in detail on the Dollar Energy website, apply to both the usage charges and the customer charge. Losli noted that customer and community feedback led to Illinois American Water's expansion of the program, approved by the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC): 'Our customers and community leaders wanted a more inclusive program. We listened, and so did the ICC.' For questions about the program, or to apply for the Income-Based Discount Program, customers can call Dollar Energy at 1-888-282-6816 or they can apply directly at the company's website that includes an income calculator and a link to the application. Once enrolled in the Income-Based Discount Program, customers will be required to recertify their number of household members and income information on an annual basis to remain enrolled in the program. The Income-Based Discount Program is available in addition to Illinois American Water's H2O Help to Others customer assistance program, administered via the local Salvation Army chapter. About American Water American Water (NYSE: AWK) is the largest regulated water and wastewater utility company in the United States. With a history dating back to 1886, We Keep Life Flowing® by providing safe, clean, reliable and affordable drinking water and wastewater services to more than 14 million people with regulated operations in 14 states and on 18 military installations. American Water's 6,700 talented professionals leverage their significant expertise and the company's national size and scale to achieve excellent outcomes for the benefit of customers, employees, investors and other stakeholders. For more information, visit and join American Water on LinkedIn, Facebook, X and Instagram. About Illinois American Water Illinois American Water, a subsidiary of American Water, is the largest regulated water utility in the state, providing safe, clean, reliable and affordable water and wastewater services to approximately 1.3 million people. American Water also operates a quality control and research laboratory in Belleville.
Time of India
6 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
10 leading causes of death in the US, and how they are tied to THIS common risk factor
A recent study reveals a concerning trend in the United States. Death rates are not improving equally across all counties. The American Cancer Society finds a widening gap. This disparity is linked to poverty levels. Improvements are greater in low-poverty areas. High-poverty counties are lagging behind. The study highlights the connection between poverty and mortality. In the United States, the life expectancy has been increasing, and overall death rates have been declining over the past 30 years. Despite this progress, a new study shows that these improvements are not evenly distributed across counties. A new study from the American Cancer Society (ACS) reveals a growing gap in death rates across US counties, and they have also found a common risk factor that plays a significant role in health outcomes. The research is published in the journal Med . The study shows disparities in mortality rates for all causes, and how eight of the top 10 leading causes of death are linked to poverty. Poverty and mortality rates The study analyzed death rates across US counties (excluding Alaska and Hawaii) from 1990–1994 and 2016–2020 (excluding the COVID-19 period). They measured county poverty levels by how many residents earned less than the Federal Poverty Level (FPL): Low-poverty counties had fewer than 10% of residents below the FPL. High-poverty counties had 20% or more of residents below the FPL. The researchers studied the link between poverty levels and death rates across counties for all causes and for the 10 leading causes of death in 2020. The 10 causes of death, they focused on were: Heart diseases (heart attack, heart failure, peripheral artery disease, arrhythmias, and others) Cancer Cerebrovascular disease (such as stroke, blood clots, or artery blockage, stenosis, aneurysm) Pneumonia/influenza Unintentional injury (such as falls, motor vehicle accidents, poisoning, and drug overdose) Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), including emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Alzheimer's disease Type 2 diabetes Suicide Kidney disease Improvement in death rates The study found that the death rates improved across the US. From 1990-1994 to 2016-2020, death rates improved across all poverty levels for all causes and four leading causes: heart disease, cancer, cerebrovascular disease, and pneumonia/influenza. However, there was a disparity among countries. The improvements were greater in counties with lower poverty levels, widening the mortality gap with higher-poverty counties. The researchers noticed that the largest improvements occurred along the East and West coasts and parts of the northern US, while the smallest gains were in the Midwest, Appalachia, and the South regions with many high-poverty counties. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Waarom duizenden 60+'ers in Nederland nu deze kniebrace dragen Fysiotherapeuten onthullen LEES NU Undo The rates of heart disease and cancer death improved least in the South and Midwest, while pneumonia/influenza saw the smallest gains in the Mississippi Valley and Great Plains. Worsening death rates The study found that the death rates worsened for six conditions: unintentional injury, COPD, Alzheimer's disease, type 2 diabetes, suicide, and kidney disease. For diseases such as COPD and type 2 diabetes, death rates improved in low-poverty counties but worsened in high-poverty ones. Unintentional injury, driven by the opioid crisis, and Alzheimer's disease, linked to an aging population and increased dementia reporting, saw the largest increases in death rates across all poverty levels. They also noticed a difference between the genders. Type 2 diabetes death rates improved for females across all poverty levels. In males, the COPD death rates improved. Why disparities are growing The researchers observed that the largest disparities in death rates between high- and low-poverty counties were for type 2 diabetes, pneumonia/influenza, COPD, kidney disease, and heart disease. The risk factors such as smoking and obesity, prevalent in the South, contribute to these disparities. Limited Medicaid expansion in some Southern states may also exacerbate inequities. This study's findings are crucial as they could lead to further research on how poverty shapes death rates and help identify ways to reduce health inequalities.
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Miami Valley Child Development marks 60 years with Head Start
DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) – The 60th anniversary celebration for both the Miami Valley Child Development Centers (MVCDC) and the Head Start program will be this Wednesday. The Head Start program serves nearly 3,000 kids in the Miami Valley who are experiencing poverty. It provides high-quality early learning and child care to children from 6 weeks to age 5. Simultaneously, the program offers critical support to the kids' families to help break the cycle of poverty. Little Miami Watershed Network summer events coming soon The event will be held on June 4 at the Marilyn E. Thomas Center, 2900 Shiloh Springs Rd., Trotwood, at 6:00 p.m. 2 NEWS' weekend anchor and multi-media journalist, KaJéza Hawkins, will emcee the celebration. Hawkins is a proud MVCDC graduate. Dr. Alonzo Patterson, III, a board-certified pediatrician and Dayton Children's Hospital's first Chief Medical Health Equity Officer, will speak at the event. He has practiced medicine for over 30 years and primarily focuses on children who lack access to medical care. Patterson has cared for generations of families here in Dayton, and many of his patients have been MVCDC/Head Start graduates. Dayton Children's new center to address food insecurity, poverty and more with new programs MVCDC is, spectacularly, the largest provider of Early Head Start and Head Start programs in Ohio. It ensures nearly 500,000 nutritious meals and snacks are given to children each year. There are many ways to be eligible for the program: Families earning under 100% of the Federal Poverty Level (Which is $26,650 for a family of three). Families who receive SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits are automatically eligible to enroll. Children in foster or kinship care, or who are experiencing homelessness. Children with some disabilities. For more information on the program, call Berta Velilla, MVCDC President and CEO, at 937-825-8439. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Champaign Co. program helping at-risk homes stay cool during extreme heat
CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, Ill. (WCIA) — A program which aims to help Champaign County households keep the power on in the summer opens to applicants in a week. In a news release sent from the Champaign County Regional Planning Commission, officials said the Summer Cooling program was created because of the demand for utility assistance and exhausted funding from post-pandemic programs like Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). Sholem Aquatics Center urging for swim safety as pool season begins The Summer Cooling program will support low-income households in the county that are at the greatest risk from extreme heat. It'll help an estimated 200 to 350 households maintain power in their homes. Interested applicants can apply starting June 9. Appointments will be available on a walk-in, first-come, first-served basis from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. On Wednesdays, appointments are available from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Appointments are available at the Brookens Administrative Center in Urbana, at 2009 Round Barn Road in Champaign and at the Rantoul Business Center. To be eligible for the program, officials said: Champaign board to continue proposed solar farm discussion later this summer Applicants must be Champaign County residents The household's most recent 30-day income must be at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level The household must include a senior (age 60 and above) or an individual with a medical certificate documenting a condition that requires active power in the household The household's power service is disconnected or in imminent disconnect status. The Regional Planning Commission said applications for LIHEAP will open Oct. 1 for households with anyone over 60, with a person who has a documented disability, families with children under age 6 and disconnected/disconnect notice household. All other households can apply Nov. 1. Officials encourage those not eligible for the cooling program to contact their utility company and ask about other available programs. The Summer Cooling program is funded by the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG). The amount of bill assistance per household will not exceed $1,000, according to officials. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Gulf Today
02-06-2025
- Health
- Gulf Today
Congress wants Medicaid recipients to work
Michelle Baruchman, Tribune News Service Georgia could soon become the poster child for administering Medicaid with work requirements — for better or worse. As Congressional Republicans seek to pass a budget bill enacting President Donald Trump's agenda, they're looking to require able-bodied Medicaid recipients to work in order to receive their health care coverage. Georgia is presently the only state in the nation with work requirements for its Medicaid population. Here, Medicaid provides government-funded health care for some low-income people, with about 30 categories of eligibility including certain pregnant women, older widows and primary caregivers. Instead of embracing traditional Medicaid expansion, Gov. Brian Kemp sought to grow the number of insured Georgians through a conservative framework; his program provides Medicaid to people earning up to 100% of the Federal Poverty Level — about $15,000 for a single person — if they work at least 80 hours per month or meet academic or other requirements. But rather than leading to more Medicaid recipients working, Georgia's experience has led to people who could be eligible for the program unable to receive Medicaid, mostly because of bureaucratic red tape. While experts say Kemp's program, called Georgia Pathways to Coverage, has different aims, it could still provide lessons in both politics and policy. Pathways is designed to use health care as an incentive to get able-bodied individuals into the workforce on a limited basis. Eventually, the thinking goes, those part-time workers would transfer into full-time employees and become eligible for company-sponsored private health care plans, moving them off the government's rolls. According to Kemp's Office, at least 1,025 Pathways members have been referred to 'better, private health care coverage' through Georgia Access, the state's health care exchange, because their income increased. 'With this success it's no surprise that others are starting to emulate our innovative approach to health care coverage,' said Garrison Douglas, a spokesperson for Kemp. Chris Denson, the director of policy and research at the Georgia Public Policy Foundation, said Pathways is a way to increase health care coverage that is in line with the governor's vision without expanding Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. States that expand Medicaid for people earning up to 138% of the Federal Poverty Level, about $21,000 for an individual, have received additional federal funding to pay for it. About 40 states have expanded; Georgia has not. In Congress, lawmakers are looking for cuts that reduce the federal deficit, which is currently more than $1 trillion. Implementing work requirements nationwide among the existing able-bodied Medicaid population has been a Republican goal among those who believe there is waste and abuse in Medicaid. 'Medicaid has grown beyond its original intention to cover the aged, the blind, the disabled population, children, single mothers, and has grown to cover able-bodied individuals. That has long been an issue within conservative health circles,' Denson said. As part of discussions last year around easing regulations to establish new hospitals in Georgia, state Sen. Matt Brass, a Republican from Newnan, had voted for a form of Medicaid expansion. His thinking has shifted since then, and he supports work requirements and the Pathways programme. If you're going to use public money to pay for something, outside of those who are deaf, blind and disabled, you need to have some skin in the game,' he said. 'As long as you're working and a contributing member of society, then absolutely, I'm good with providing health care to help you do that.' Democrats understand that requiring Medicaid recipients to work for their benefits sounds like a good idea. A poll from the health research group KFF found that 62% of adults support work requirements. 'That actually makes sense to a lot of people. That sounds reasonable,' said state Rep. Michelle Au, a Democrat from Johns Creek. The problem, she said, is not with the work, it's with the administrative burden of reporting. 'There are people who actually are working and meet those hour eligibilities that still are not eligible for access through Pathways because of how onerous and difficult the reporting requirement is,' she said. 'It's building in a barrier to patients getting care.' KFF found that support for work requirements drops to 32% 'when those who initially support the proposal hear that most people on Medicaid are already working and many would risk losing coverage because of the burden of proving eligibility through paperwork.' Kemp's team initially expected fewer than 100,000 people to be enrolled in the program. As of earlier this year, there were about 6,500. Heather Payne is one of the patients struggling to get care. After she began having strokes a few years ago, she was no longer able to work her nursing job and has been waiting to get her disability application to be approved. She can't get Medicaid while her disability application is active, and she can't get Medicare without a disability status. Payne, 53, who lives in Dalton, recently decided to go back to school. Attending a public or private university of technical college is considered a qualifying activity for Pathways. But in addition to working clinical rotations, she's only taking nine credit hours right now, short of the 11.5 credit hours needed to be eligible for Pathways. 'I would have to take a full-time program at my school and work my clinical rotations to get the clinical experience I needed, to qualify to get Pathways,' she said. Other Georgians have said the portal to report work is a 'nightmare,' administrative support is lacking, and applicants are not given clear reasons why they are denied benefits.
