Republicans have released a health care bill that will repeal and replace the 2010 Affordable Care Act. This new bill has been reviewed by the Congressional Budget Office, which states in a report that with this plan as many as 14 million Americans will lose health coverage in the next year, with estimates of 24 million people losing health coverage over the next decade. Many Republicans believe these numbers are overestimated. They are focusing instead on how the Republican plan will reduce the federal budget deficit by over $300 billion over ten years. Listen to learn more about the changes to the U.S. health care system proposed in the Republican plan.
Story Length: 5:23
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December 2, 2016
3:42
The United Nations set an ambitious goal of ending extreme poverty and fighting disease by 2030. But a lot of governments and international organizations and researchers still aren't collecting basic statistics. For example, currently over 150 million kids in poor countries have stunted growth, largely due to malnutrition, but there isn’t data about which nutrients available in these countries are most needed to prevent malnutrition. The data gap is especially noticeable when it comes to statistics on girls and women. This makes it hard to prioritize health spending. Listen to this story and debate what can be done to improve data on poverty.
Read MoreOctober 21, 2016
5:30
Affordable housing is become increasingly scarce in many cities around the country. Many low-income tenants often find themselves unable to pay their rent and at risk of eviction. Most tenants who fail to pay rent and are taken to court have no lawyer, while most landlords do. Some people believe this could be improved by providing free legal help to tenants. Listen to hear stories of people facing eviction and the struggle for affordable housing. Then debate whether the government should have a role in increasing affordable housing.
Read MoreJanuary 13, 2014
8:01
50 years ago President Lyndon Johnson declared an “unconditional war on poverty in America.” The President and Congress created Medicare, Medicaid, Head Start and other programs for low-income Americans. But did we win the war on poverty? Listen to this story and then explore the question with your class.
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