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Connecting today’s news with the research & opinion you need.

Counting on Failure

What to Know: A new op-ed co-authored by TPPF’s Brian Blase finds that after four years of not doing so, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services have begun auditing Medicaid eligibility again. They’re finding many enrollees don’t qualify.

The TPPF Take: The Obama administration sought to show the Affordable Care Act’s “success” by enrolling as many people into Medicaid as possible—and that’s why it stopped auditing eligibility.

“The increase in the number of ineligible Medicaid beneficiaries has crowded out the most vulnerable for whom the program was intended,” says TPPF’s David Balat. “The number of enrollees is the wrong way to measure success, because coverage does not equal care. The fact remains that the ACA has failed.”

No Degree Needed

What to Know: Google is one of a growing number of companies no longer requiring its employees to have a college degree.

The TPPF Take: College isn’t for everyone—and it never was.

“Even as high school students are waking up to the fact that a college degree isn’t a sure path to success, the business community is realizing that degrees don’t necessarily equate to skills,” says TPPF’s Ron Simmons. “Meanwhile, high-paying jobs in the skilled trades are going unfilled. It’s time for all of us to rethink our society’s college-for-all assumption.”

Charter Lies

What to Know: Democratic presidential candidates are unanimous on one point; they all contend that charter schools take money away from public schools—and they vow to oppose charters.

The TPPF Take: Charter schools are public schools; in fact, they usually operate with less money—but more freedom.

“Charter schools are given more autonomy in exchange for academic and innovative results,” says TPPF’s Austin Griesinger. “Because charter schools are another school option for many students, they help provide a crucial impact on education in America—competition. Competition drives growth, innovation, and it improves results.”