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Megan Michaud is Vice President of Programs and Policy at the Maine Economic Policy Center.
All mainners, whether from limestone, Lewiston, Presque Isle or Portland, will overcome these challenges as rising costs increase financial pressure and the economy continues to reset from the pandemic shock. You need to have what you need.
Emergency relief during the first few months of the pandemic helped most families and workers survive an imminent crisis. But even before COVID-19 and inflation, the basics we all rely on to take care of our families, including health care and child care, were too high for everyday mainrs. Currently, wages for many are rising and unemployment is low, but prices are rising for everything from gas to groceries, so elected leaders to keep the position we have won. Need to act.
Election season can increase tensions while reducing legislative activity, but now, before ads and mail clutter our mailboxes and the debate heats up, Congress has common sense and a sense of rising costs. There is a window to go through the economic package with various modifications.
The bill will help build the brightest future for the next generation by reducing prescription and health insurance costs, increasing availability, reducing childcare costs, and helping parents with parenting costs. must.
It’s no secret that President Joe Biden and parliamentary leaders struggled to pass legislation to help families achieve their goals. But the need to overcome their differences remains dire. Many programs that helped families during a pandemic, such as paying child tax credits, have expired. Others, such as the increase in subsidies that helped millions of people provide health care during the worst public health crisis of our lives, will soon expire.
Inflation is all about workers and their families, especially those who are forced to go for low wages and those in communities who have been alienated from opportunities and resources due to historical and ongoing discrimination. It gives a big blow when it is soaring. ..
Some simple ideas are helpful and need to be included. Personal and state health care costs by making the extended AffordableCareAct premium tax credit permanent, which has already helped millions of people buy affordable health insurance, and limiting insulin costs to $ 35. Will be reduced. It also prevents more than 60,000 mainners from being shocked by stickers. Without this change, old mainner premiums could increase by thousands of dollars in 2023.
Addressing the significant shortage of child care provides more options to provide children with the care they need and to make it easier for parents to work. Guaranteeing very low-income families to receive child tax credits and recovering monthly payments will help families buy basics such as food, rent and fuel when costs rise.
In addition, you can pay with general policies such as rolling back tax cuts for the wealthiest people and businesses and negotiating prescription drug savings. These measures may also help reduce the deficit.
Parliament is working to pass energy and climate bills aimed at reducing energy costs, creating jobs and addressing the harms of climate change. While these are commendable goals, climate and energy bills are not a replacement for economic packages that help families buy what they need. These priorities must not conflict with each other. Congress must address our climate issues and provide the targeted support that workers and families need at the same time.
We gathered during the pandemic to take care of each other. COVID-19 caused enormous suffering, but the spirit of solidarity helped us avoid even worse consequences. Now we need to meet again to maintain the foundation we have recovered and laid for the future. Affordable healthcare and cheap prescription drugs. Child care that allows families to afford to support childcare costs. These are the foundations that mainners need to seize opportunities and prosper.
