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What to Know for Wednesday, July 15th, 2026: |
1: States face $9B+ SNAP cost-share starting October 2027 based on payment error rates — nearly half of states owing $100M+ annually |
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(Image Credit: Getty Images) |
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One Big Beautiful Bill Act requires states with payment error rates 6%+ to fund 5-15% of SNAP benefits starting October 2027: National average error rate 10.62% fiscal 2025 — states choosing lower error from fiscal 2025 or 2026 — only 9 states below 6% threshold (Iowa, Nebraska, Wisconsin) avoiding payments — Center on Budget estimates total cost ~$9B with nearly half of states owing $100M+ annually — error rates measure unintentional over/underpayments, not fraud. Combined with 75% administrative cost-share increase (from 50%), states may change SNAP eligibility/benefits or withdraw entirely — advocates warn increased hunger: Congressional Budget Office projecting states may reduce benefits, tighten eligibility, or leave program — Oklahoma projects $250M annual cost; Missouri SNAP caseload dropped 50,000 since Aug 2025 (including disabled, children unable to work) — already high food insecurity regions like Oklahoma (17% households food insecure) face devastating consequences. SNAP enrollment dropped 5.5M nationally between January 2025-March 2026 due to new work requirements and eligibility changes from OBBBA: Steepest decline in eight months after law signed July 2025 — food banks reporting higher demand — Iowa Hunger Coalition, Oklahoma, Missouri anti-poverty advocates urging Congress delay cost-shift timeline to give states time lowering error rates without cutting essential services.
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➜ Read the full article from MPR News here. |
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2: SSA touts 30% backlog reduction, historic-low hearing waits — but analysts say gains driven by higher denials and fewer applicants |
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(Image Credit: Getty Images) |
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Social Security reduced initial disability claims backlog 30% (1.3M to 853K) and cut hearing wait times 90+ days to 266 days, calling improvements "historic low": SSA selective with metrics, providing snapshots instead of detailed real-time data — backlog still higher than Great Recession or COVID-19 pandemic per Urban Institute research — initial delays reflect years of underfunding/understaffing despite recent claimed improvements. Apparent improvements masking increased denial rate — approvals fell to 36% fiscal 2025 from 38.7% in 2024 while applications dropped 7%: Fewer new claims + more denials = lower backlog numbers, not improved service — 2/3 of applicants denied; denials processed faster than approvals — Urban Institute: "Fewer claims and more denials could mean people with disabilities facing more barriers to applying for benefits" — discouraged applicants giving up after hearing difficulty getting benefits. SSA upheaval contributing to denial spike — 7,000+ jobs lost (12% workforce), new leadership, procedure changes in past 18 months: Former Commissioner O'Malley warns long wait times, closed field offices, difficult phone access discouraging applications — "more people die when wait time that long" — media coverage of SSA problems exacerbates discouragement — advocates say disability applicants already financially struggling need timely decisions, not three-month waits followed by denial.
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➜ Read the full article on Marketwatch here. |
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3: Trump administration seeks public input to overhaul Medicare physician payment system — targets AMA's monopoly on billing codes generating $300M+ annually |
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(Image Credit: Washington Post) |
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HHS/Kennedy administration requesting alternative proposals to Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) system owned by American Medical Association: Administration concerned about "AMA's outsized influence over setting payment rates, which could be a conflict of interest" — CPT system rewards surgeries/costly procedures over primary care/prevention — AMA generates $300M+ annually in royalties from billing code licensing fees — shift aims to incentivize preventive care, primary care, screening vs. lucrative specialty procedures. Bipartisan support for change — system incentivizes physicians into expensive specialties, reinforces disease-treatment model over prevention: Sen. Warren: "secretive committee run by AMA has outsized role recommending relative values of physician services...overwhelmingly recommended specialty services worth more than primary care" — Sen. Cassidy (R-LA) pressing AMA on how codes devised and fees charged — other countries use open-source billing codes with better health outcomes and more physicians in primary care. Would require lengthy regulatory process before implementation — fierce resistance expected from AMA and medical lobbying groups: AMA defends codes developed through "rigorous and transparent process" — panel of AMA/specialty physicians (RUC) makes recommendations overwhelmingly accepted by federal government for reimbursement rates — experts highlight complex U.S. system with middlemen/bureaucracy adds layers patients can't decipher — Columbia University researcher: "fair to ask whether public getting value" for that $300M.
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➜ Read the full article from the Washington Post here. |
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Here’s What You Missed on YouTube: |
Check out our new YouTube videos for Wednesday, July 15th. |
Social Security About to Get Replaced? What Trump's Retirement Plan Means for You |
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Social Security About to Get Replaced? What Trump's Retirement Plan Means for You |
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This newsletter is for information only. Always confirm your options directly with Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, or a qualified advisor before making big decisions about your benefits. |
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