What Else Happened? Congress Failed, Parents With Disabilities Sued, and a ‘Concentration Camp’ Closed

Kat Jercich & Regina Mahone

Rewire managing editors Regina Mahone and Kat Jercich explore this week’s important underreported stories. Plus, Regina interviews Vilissa Thompson about parents with intellectual disabilities fighting discrimination in New York City, and Kat's parents are in town.

PHOENIX, AZ - MARCH 11: An immigrant inmate excercises while another sits on his bunk at the Maricopa County Tent City jail on March 11, 2013 in Phoenix, Arizona. The striped uniforms and pink undergarments are standard issue at the facility. The tent jail, run by Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, houses undocumented immigrants who are serving up to one year after being convicted of crime in the county. Although many of immigrants have lived in the U.S for years, often with families, most will be deported to Mexico after serving their sentences. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images) John Moore / Getty Images

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Rewire managing editors Regina Mahone and Kat Jercich explore this week’s important underreported stories: Congress creating a rural health crisis, #NoCopAcademy protests breaking out in Chicago, and the closing of “Tent City” in Arizona. Plus, Regina interviews Vilissa Thompson about parents with intellectual disabilities fighting discrimination in New York City, and Kat’s parents are in town.

All of this and more is available in your new favorite weekend news companion, What Else Happened?

An edited excerpt:

Kat: There’s been a lot of attention paid over the last few weeks to the fact that Congress let funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program or CHIP expire. This will leave nine million kids without access to low-cost health insurance. The program also provided coverage for pregnant people.

Regina: But CHIP isn’t the only program that lost its funding. Under the Affordable Care Act, community health centers gained billions of federal dollars; that money goes to provide services to more than 27 million people. Those services can include preventive care, counseling, and dentistry. And, in many areas, they’re the only source of primary care.

Kat: But Congress didn’t reauthorize 70% of that money. Without it, the Department of Health and Human Services says about 2800 center sites would close. That would leave nine million patients without access to care.

Regina: Congress also failed to stop $43 million in cuts to funding for hospitals that serve low-income patients who can’t pay for their care. These cuts will be especially harmful for, you guessed it, rural communities.

Transcript (PDF)