Mike Maciag

Arlington, Washington, D.C.

Policy research + data journalism. Past: @Governing, @GoErie, @ajc, @SunSentinel. Views are my own. Email: mike.maciag at gmail

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Articles

Under Trump, Medicaid Faces a 'Reset Moment'

Jan 13, 2025 | governing.com | Alan Greenblatt |Jabari Simama |Mike Maciag

“We are very aware that the federal budget situation could lead to a shift of Medicaid expansion costs from the federal government to the states,” says GOP state Rep. Tony Venhuizen, a sponsor of both ballot measures. “If that happens, South Dakota should have the flexibility to consider the budget implications of continued participation.”Lawmakers in all states are wondering what sort of cuts may be coming for Medicaid.
Jimmy Carter’s Redemptive Record on Race and Injustice

Jan 13, 2025 | governing.com | Jabari Simama |Alan Greenblatt |Mike Maciag

Raised on a peanut farm in the predominately African American town of Archery, Ga., Carter made friends with many Black children in the countryside near Plains, despite his attending racially segregated schools and his father being a devout segregationist. His mother was a nurse, and although we don’t know much about her views on race, scholars infer that her views must have been more moderate given that she provided free health care to many poor Blacks who lived nearby.
Health-Care AI Requires a Lot of Expensive Humans

Jan 13, 2025 | governing.com | Jabari Simama |Mike Maciag

This story also ran on CBS News. It can be republished for free.But it’s far from being a set-it-and-forget-it tool. A routine tech checkup revealed the algorithm decayed during the covid-19 pandemic, getting 7 percentage points worse at predicting who would die, according to a 2022 study. There were likely real-life impacts.
Minimum Wages Are Rising in Nearly Half the States This Year

Jan 13, 2025 | governing.com | Jabari Simama |Mike Maciag

In many states, the minimum wage is automatically adjusted upward as inflation rises. But voters in several states, including deeply red ones such as Alaska and Missouri, chose in November to significantly increase their minimum wages this year. Michigan will see its minimum wage jump from $10.33 to $12.48 on Feb.
How ‘Energy Democracy’ Could Build the Grid of the Future

Nov 27, 2023 | governing.com | Skip Descant |Mike Maciag |Jabari Simama |Mattie Quinn

On Nov. 7, Maine voters considered a referendum that would shift ownership of the state’s electric grid from foreign investors to local consumers. The proposal was soundly defeated, but it wasn’t a fair fight. The grass-roots group that put the referendum forward was vastly outspent by Maine’s two investor-owned utilities.
Native American Communities Improve Health by Restoring Their Cultures

Nov 27, 2023 | governing.com | Carl Smith |Mike Maciag |Jabari Simama |Mattie Quinn

The concept of “preventive health” has expanded to include improving the environmental and social factors that contribute to illness. The Culture of Health awards from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation recognize communities that are addressing these factors with collaborative and holistic approaches. The 2023 winners include two Native American communities that are drawing on cultural practices to build engagement in healthy practices and lifestyles.
Pennsylvania House Approves Bill for Striking Worker Pay

Nov 17, 2023 | governing.com | Mike Maciag |Mattie Quinn |Jabari Simama

The measure passed Wednesday on a 106-to-97 vote, getting support from every Democrat as well as four Republicans; it now heads to the GOP-controlled Senate, where its future is less certain. The bill amends Pennsylvania’s unemployment compensation law to stipulate that striking workers are not considered to have voluntarily quit. Leaving work on one’s own accord typically makes a person ineligible to receive unemployment compensation. The Pennsylvania state House approved a bill Wednesday, Nov.
Hennepin County Wants to End Chronic Homelessness by 2025. Here’s How It Will Happen.

Oct 18, 2023 | governing.com | Carl Smith |Mattie Quinn |Zina Hutton |Mike Maciag

Overall, homelessness increased three-tenths of a percent between 2020 and 2022. But the number of chronically homeless Americans, those most at risk, increased at a much greater rate. Hennepin County, Minn., has set a goal of ending chronic homelessness by 2025. The county has achieved a 28 percent reduction in chronic homelessness since 2021. A key factor in its success is being able to coordinate care to named individuals.
Is It Time to Let Noncitizens Vote in Local Elections? Some Americans Think that’s Just Nutty.

Sep 14, 2023 | governing.com | Caroline Cournoyer |Alan Greenblatt |Mike Maciag

That sounds a little crazy, doesn’t it? Weren’t we taught growing up that the right to vote belongs only to full-fledged, passport-eligible citizens of this country? Nonetheless, the movement to expand immigrants’ voting rights is gaining ground. Should noncitizens be allowed to vote? We pay taxes, immigrants say. We run businesses. We send kids to public schools, drive the roads, ride the subways and fight in America’s wars.
Washington State’s Devastating Decline of Volunteer FireFighters

Sep 5, 2023 | governing.com | Mike Maciag |Jared Brey |Donald F. Kettl

"If you've ever seen the movie 'Lethal Weapon,' you know Martin Riggs lives on the beach with his dog and his truck and a camper," he said. "That was my choice. That was like, 'if I can do that, and work in a drug task force, I'd be stoked.'"Then, his friends convinced him to join a local fire department in San Clemente, Calif., as a volunteer firefighter. At first, he said he stayed on the job for the adrenaline rush.