Des Moines Register

Des Moines Register Quotes Len Nichols on Hillary Clinton's New Plan

Communications — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 04:14:00 -0400

New America in the News:

Hillary Clinton would require all Americans to have health insurance, just as most states require drivers to carry car insurance.

Her plan, unveiled Monday in Des Moines, would offer tax subsidies to help those who can't afford coverage. Americans could choose from private plans or a government plan.

Those who like their current insurance plan would be able to keep it, she said. Those who are uninsured or who don't like their work-based coverage would have two choices: a program similar to Medicare or one of the private plans available to federal employees....

A fear of losing one's existing coverage was a factor that brought down the Clinton proposal in 1994.

The sweeping plan tried to solve two problems: the uninsured and soaring costs. It had more government regulation, including dictated price limits on premiums.

This time, Clinton is being careful to leave people alone if they are satisfied with their current arrangement, said Len Nichols, director of health policy at the New America Foundation...

For the complete article, please visit the Des Moines Register web site.

Des Moines Register Reports on New America Energy Event

Communications — Fri, 18 May 2007 10:25:00 -0400

New America in the News:

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, one of the Democrats seeking the presidency, unveiled a national energy plan Thursday that places a high priority on ethanol and other biofuels produced in Iowa.

"I would say that on a scale of 10, the use and promotion of biofuels and biodiesel and ethanol would be at about a 9.5 level," Richardson said in a conference call with Iowa reporters.

Richardson, who was secretary of energy in the Clinton administration, and his wife Barbara drive a Ford Escape hybrid and a Chevrolet Tahoe flexible-fuel vehicle that can run on E85 ethanol.

Richardson outlined his energy plan in a speech Thursday to the New America Foundation in Washington. He called for dramatically reducing oil consumption and oil imports, increasing the production of renewable energy, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and working internationally on energy issues...

For the complete article, please visit the Des Moines Register website.

For more information on New America's energy efficiency event, please click here.

Start Government-Funded Savings Accounts for Kids

Articles — Sat, 05 Nov 2005 04:00:00 -0500

Hurricane Katrina graphically showed how many Americans live in abject poverty, one natural disaster away from losing the few assets they have.

But many Iowans have equally few assets to weather a similar financial setback, whether the cause is a natural disaster like Katrina or an economic one, such as losing a job. More than half of households in our state headed by adults 55 and older lack retirement assets, such as pensions and annuities. Among low-income households in Iowa headed by an adult over 55, nearly two out of three households have no retirement assets.

One new idea to address… more