The Half Sheet

For over a century, the Statue of Liberty has proclaimed a promise of the United States as a refuge and dream for “huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore.”

Virginia’s state and local taxes help to shape economic opportunity across the state. Unfortunately, the current state and local tax system is upside down.

Virginia’s inadequate investment in public colleges and universities over the last decade has contributed to rising tuition prices, often leaving students with little choice but to take on more debt or give up on their dreams of going to college.

For too many women in our state, work often does not pay enough. The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) helps many hardworking families with low and moderate incomes, especially those with young children, make ends meet and also provides a number of other important benefits for families. 

In September, the state Department of Medical Assistance Services (DMAS) released a proposed 1115 demonstration waiver to implement the Creating Opportunities for Medicaid Participants to Achieve Self-Sufficiency (COMPASS) program.

In September, the state Department of Medical Assistance Services (DMAS) released a proposed 1115 demonstration waiver to implement the Creating Opportunities for Medicaid Participants to Achieve Self-Sufficiency (COMPASS) program.

Incomes rose in Virginia for middle-class households in 2017, with household incomes finally exceeding pre-Great Recession (2007) levels. Compared to 2016, median household income is up 2.8 percent in Virginia to $71,535. Compared to five

Virginia’s uninsured rate held basically steady in 2017 at 8.8 percent, according to new data released today by the U.S. Census Bureau, maintaining the substantial 3.5 percent reduction in the uninsured rate since 2013. This new data highlights the continued success of the major reforms of the Affordable Care Act, which went into effect in 2014. 

Over 100,000 families in rural and small town Virginia currently receive the federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). That’s about one in six taxpayers who claim the EITC in Virginia.

Some cities and states are seeking to make the expected impact of proposed public policies on different communities more transparent through preparing racial equity impact analyses

Virginia is one of just six states in the nation where the wealthiest school districts receive more funding per student than the poorest districts, according to a new report from the National Center for Education Statistics. 

Across the country states are turning to reinsurance pools as a way to decrease health insurance costs and stabilize the individual market.