30
Residents of Chappell will have to travel 30 miles or more to reach a health care clinic beginning this fall. Regional West Health Systems plans to close medical clinics in Sidney and Chappell in September, leaving the 850 residents of Chappell without a local doctor’s office. A clinic in Lyons closed earlier this summer.
In May, Gov. Jim Pillen vetoed increases in Medicaid reimbursement rates for FY 2025 that Jeremy Nordquist, president of the Nebraska Hospital Association, said would bolster hospitals and health care providers across the state struggling with a very challenging financial situation.
Having to travel to access health care services adds to costs for residents and closings harm the local economy. Hospitals support 1 in every 12 jobs in rural America.
Read more from Flatwater Free Press
Read more from OpenSky on governor’s vetoes
44%
Home ownership represents the largest share of most families’ wealth portfolio, but while 73% of white Americans own homes, only 44% of Blacks are homeowners. And those racial wealth disparities are compounded by discriminatory housing policies. Researchers found that tax assessors often over-assess Black-owned homes relative to their market value, creating a disproportionately higher property tax burden. Conversely, real estate appraisers often undervalue Black-owned homes, which lowers the price they are sold for.
Read more from the Brookings Institution
Read how Biden administration aims to address racial bias in home valuations
15%
The Inflation Reduction Act passed in August 2022 cracks down on corporate tax avoidance by requiring corporations with profits over $1 billion to pay taxes totaling at least 15% of their worldwide “book” profits. For years, corporations reported billions of dollars in profits to their shareholders but used tax breaks and accounting measures to report zero profits to the IRS.
Read more from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy
Learn how the Inflation Reduction Act modernized the IRS
1%
State revenues surged amid inflation, higher stock prices and the federal government pumping pandemic aid into the economy. But revenue growth has weakened as the economy slows and tax cuts enacted in recent years kick in. Revenues in FY 2023 fell in a third of the 42 states that have reported year-end data and rose just 1% in the typical state. In Nebraska, tax receipts increased by 0.3% last fiscal year.
Learn more from the Urban Institute’s State Tax and Economic Review
Join us
OpenSky is partnering with Global Citizen and the Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia in Global Town Hall 2023, This is Our World Too: A North-South-East-West Dialogue of Civil Societies. This around-the-world, around-the-clock virtual conference on Saturday, Sept. 2 provides an independent, open and dynamic platform that will bring together leading minds and concerned citizens for a discussion on the state of the world today. From Nebraska to Nigeria to Nepal and beyond, register now to join us on Sept. 2.
OpenSky’s annual policy symposium on Tuesday, Oct. 24 will focus on Nebraska’s workforce challenges, land valuation practices and how fines and fees function as a revenue source for cities and counties with a keynote speech from Professor Timothy Nelson of Princeton University. Watch OpenSkyPolicy.org for ticket information.