United States

US: The healthcare system is unprepared for an aging population

Submitted by pmassetti on Tue, 04/11/2023 - 15:18

morningstar.com (08.04.2023) A conservative estimate of 30,000 geriatricians will be needed to care for older adults by 2030, currently there is only about a quarter of that. This article is reprinted by permission from NextAvenue.org. The U.S. healthcare system must address the shortage of geriatricians -- and fast. The U.S. population is growing and aging, with an estimated 42% increase in those aged 65 and older between 2019 and 2034.

Regions / Country
United States
Global challenges
Topics
Medical care
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User friendly Website of the Social Security Agency in the US

Submitted by lfrota on Wed, 04/05/2023 - 17:04

The Social Security Administration (SSA) in the United States of America launched its redesigned website, ssa.gov. The new site leveraged human-centered design concepts to build out self-service capabilities and improve accessibility. SSA analyzed customer data and conducted user research to inform where the gaps were, test designs and implement iterative changes on the site.

Regions / Country
United States
Topics
Old-age pensions
Survivors
Innovation capacity
Digital inclusion
E-services
Client
Document Type

US: Welfare benefits too difficult to apply for, low-income Americans say

Submitted by pmassetti on Tue, 02/14/2023 - 16:31

(25.01.2023) Low-income Americans are struggling to obtain help from state governments when they most need it, facing long delays and sometimes insurmountable hurdles when applying for social safety net programs such as food assistance, welfare benefits and health insurance, according to a new report.

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United States

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US: Using artificial intelligence to identify administrative errors in unemployment insurance

Submitted by pmassetti on Tue, 11/01/2022 - 17:28

Government Information Quarterly  (October 2022) Administrative errors in unemployment insurance (UI) decisions give rise to a public values conflict between efficiency and efficacy. We analyze whether artificial intelligence (AI) – in particular, methods in machine learning (ML) – can be used to detect administrative errors in UI claims decisions, both in terms of accuracy and normative tradeoffs. We use 16 years of US Department of Labor audit and policy data on UI claims to analyze the accuracy of 7 different random forest and deep learning models.

Regions / Country
United States
Global challenges
Digital Economy Topical Cluster
Big Data

Poor families first: Challenges of the ‘stimulus checks’ in the United States’

Submitted by pmassetti on Fri, 09/16/2022 - 15:49

ipcig.org (01.09.2022) Economic Impact Payments (EIPs)—commonly referred to as ‘stimulus checks’—were one of the key measures adopted by the US government to ease the crisis resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. By May 2022, USD817 billion had been distributed to about 85 per cent of US households. However, those most in need faced many obstacles to receive the benefits, or never even received them. This Policy Research Brief examines some aspects of the operationalisation of this initiative and provides suggestions for future improvement.

Regions / Country
United States
Topics
Cash transfers
Document Type

The critical role of social insurance in the US and policies for reform

Submitted by pmassetti on Mon, 07/04/2022 - 16:29

 (June 2022) In 2021, The Hamilton Project has been doing a deep dive into social insurance in the United States. Our capstone analysis shows that social insurance plays a critical role for workers and families – both in times of crisis, as exhibited by the pandemic and ensuing economic recession, and in normal economic times. The social insurance system also helps buffer the economy when growth falters, supporting consumer purchasing power when income growth is weak. 

Regions / Country
United States
Topics
Social policies & programmes
Document Type

US: Lessons learned from expanded unemployment insurance during COVID-19

Submitted by pmassetti on Fri, 05/06/2022 - 14:54

brookings.edu (27.05.2022) The COVID-19 recession was born out of a public health threat. Thus, unemployment insurance (UI) was meant to insure people against income losses associated not just with involuntary job loss, as in a usual recession, but also with the choice not to work due to the public health risk.

Regions / Country
United States
Topics
Unemployment

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The Benefits and Costs of a U.S. Child Allowance

Submitted by pmassetti on Fri, 03/25/2022 - 16:55

 NBER (March 2022) We conduct a benefit-cost analysis of a U.S. child allowance, based on a systematic literature review of the highest quality available causal evidence on the short- and long-term effects of cash and near-cash transfers. In contrast to the previous studies we synthesize, which tend to measure a subset of benefits and costs available in a particular dataset, we establish a comprehensive accounting of potential effects and secure estimates of each.

Regions / Country
United States
Topics
Family benefits
Document Type

California could become first US state to offer universal healthcare to residents

Submitted by pmassetti on Thu, 01/13/2022 - 10:46

theguardian.com (11.01.2022) California is considering creating the first government-funded, universal healthcare system in the US for state residents. The proposal, which lawmakers will begin debating on Tuesday, would adopt a single-payer healthcare system that would replace the need for private insurance plans.

Regions / Country
United States
Global challenges
Topics
Health
Document Type

3.6 million social security numbers exposed in unprecedented South Carolina cyber attack - The Verge

Submitted by rruggia on Thu, 10/21/2021 - 10:31

"This is not a good day for South Carolina." That was Governor Nikki Haley's public reaction to news that a foreign hacker had infiltrated South Carolina's Department of Revenue and made off with 3.6 million social security numbers and 387,000 credit/debit card numbers. Of the compromised cards, state officials believe only 16,000 were unencrypted, though the staggering social security breach affects more than half of South Carolina's 4.6 million population. Governor Nikki Haley held a presser earlier this afternoon confirming the attack — first uncovered by WLTX Columbia.

Regions / Country
United States
Topics
Security
Document Type