Pueblo Chieftain: Governors put off health care questions, for now
More than two weeks after the Supreme Court gave the green light to Obama's signature legislative achievement, many governors from both parties said they haven't decided how their states will proceed on two parts under their control: an expansion of Medicaid, expected to extend coverage to roughly 15 million low-income people, and new insurance exchanges, projected to help an additional 15 million or so purchase private insurance.
Huffington Post: Health Law Costs, Benefits Can Add Up To A Win For Young And Old
To make insurance more available to people who are older or have pre-existing conditions and can't always find affordable, comprehensive coverage, like Olson, the law pushes younger, healthier people like Coine -- who is currently uninsured -- to buy insurance and offset the system's costs. The individual mandate that nearly all Americans obtain health care coverage or pay a penalty is aimed at people like Coine.
Jobs and the Economy
While housing prices in the Denver area bottomed out last year and are now posting modest gains, thousands of homeowners are still trapped in homes worth less than they paid, and foreclosures continue to sap property-tax revenue in hard-hit Denver suburbs, forcing the state to raise its share of funding for public schools in those areas and statewide.
The outlook for the U.S. economy appeared dimmer Monday after a report that Americans spent less at retail businesses for a third straight month in June.
Fiscal Policy
Washington Post: Democrats threaten to go over "fiscal cliff" if GOP fails to raise taxes
Democrats are making increasingly explicit threats about their willingness to let nearly $600 billion worth of tax hikes and spending cuts take effect in January unless Republicans drop their opposition to higher taxes for the nation's wealthiest households.
Denver Post: Senate Dems ready $272b tax-cut extension bill
A draft of the proposal shows that Democrats would keep income tax rates where they currently are for families earning below $250,000 a year and individuals making less than $200,000, as President Barack Obama has proposed. Obama and Democrats would let the tax cuts enacted a decade ago on those earning more than that expire, leaving them facing a top income tax bracket of 39.6 percent.
Boulder Daily Camera: Longmont forced to face the budget
The challenge for Longmont's City Council is a general fund issue called one-time dollars -- unspent money from prior budgets that's carried over into the next one. That's handy for expenses that are one-and-done, like buying a car, a printer or a piece of furniture.The problem comes when the cost is an ongoing one, like park maintenance. Then you have the expense coming up every year, without the money to support it.
