The Eligibility Hurdle

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A new analysis by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities points out that due to the complex rules and regulations concerning eligibility for Medicaid, many people left uninsured by Katrina cannot get much-needed health insurance. That’s a good point, although this isn’t an issue restricted to Katrina. Medicaid’s eligibility rules always pose something of a problem: Low-income mothers and children often qualify for Medicaid, but low-income fathers usually don’t, despite the fact that fathers with low incomes can get sick and need treatment just like anyone else. Meanwhile, the eligibility rules are so intricate that many families often don’t know that they’re eligible even when they are. Obviously states trying to keep costs down and Medicaid rolls as small as possible have every incentive to make this all very confusing, but it has real costs for people, and it would be nice if Katrina focused more attention on this larger problem.

WE CAME UP SHORT.

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WE CAME UP SHORT.

We just wrapped up a shorter-than-normal, urgent-as-ever fundraising drive and we came up about $45,000 short of our $300,000 goal.

That means we're going to have upwards of $350,000, maybe more, to raise in online donations between now and June 30, when our fiscal year ends and we have to get to break-even. And even though there's zero cushion to miss the mark, we won't be all that in your face about our fundraising again until June.

So we urgently need this specific ask, what you're reading right now, to start bringing in more donations than it ever has. The reality, for these next few months and next few years, is that we have to start finding ways to grow our online supporter base in a big way—and we're optimistic we can keep making real headway by being real with you about this.

Because the bottom line: Corporations and powerful people with deep pockets will never sustain the type of journalism Mother Jones exists to do. The only investors who won’t let independent, investigative journalism down are the people who actually care about its future—you.

And we hope you might consider pitching in before moving on to whatever it is you're about to do next. We really need to see if we'll be able to raise more with this real estate on a daily basis than we have been, so we're hoping to see a promising start.

payment methods

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