Dustin Pugel

Just a quick note on the state of our safety net in KY:
-Medicaid cuts will hit hard in coming years
-kynect costs are about to spike
-SNAP just became far more restrictive
-WIC runs out of $ quickly during a shutdown
-KTAP benefits were cut by >1/3

Its bleak for the poor rn.

My latest 👇

The new federal fiscal year starts Oct 1, and open enrollment for the 2026 plan year begins Nov 1.

Congress has time to extend the improved subsidies on kynect and save tens of thousands of working Kentuckians from a massive spike in insurance costs. The clock is ticking.

The three insurance carriers on the marketplace know this, and are particularly worried about "young invincibles" (who keep premiums lower for everyone) leaving the marketplace, and worsening the risk pool.

That's why they are increasing rates by as much as 37% this year.

As many as 18,000 Kentuckians could get pushed off the exchange, and 13,000 of them could become uninsured.

Remember, these are workers and their families. Half of adults covered on the health insurance marketplace are small business owners or independent contractors.

Costs on Kentucky’s Health Insurance Marketplace Will Explode Without Quick Action From Congress - Kentucky Center for Economic Policy For the nearly 100,000 Kentuckians who signed up for plans on kynect this year, premium costs are on track to skyrocket.

With enhanced health insurance subsidies coming to an end this year, premium costs are about to explode for Kentuckians who buy insurance on kynect...

...unless Congress acts in the coming weeks to extend them, which they absolutely should.
kypolicy.org/aca-marketpl...

Don’t listen to politicians who say Big Beautiful Bill will save Medicaid | Opinion OpEd: The Big Beautiful Bill weakens Medicaid, straining our healthcare infrastructure, reducing access, and driving up costs for everyone.

👏 Shoutout to @KyVoices4Health & @kypolicy for pushing back and making sure people know what’s at stake: our health care, our hospitals, and our communities. ✍️ Emily Beauregard @KyVoices4Health & Dustin Pugel @kypolicy.bsky.social

Read more ➡️ www.kentucky.com/opinion/op-e...

Make no mistake, Big Beautiful Bill weakens Medicaid • Kentucky Lantern Cuts coming to Medicaid will weaken the bedrock of Kentucky’s entire health care system.

Commentary by @dustinpugel.bsky.social and Emily Beauregard

Supporters of Medicaid cuts have worked hard to sell a particular stereotype, painting pictures of young men somehow living high off their health insurance. But that certainly isn’t the case in KY.

kentuckylantern.com/2025/09/03/m...

Union vote uncertain at Kentucky EV battery plant as ballots are challenged in tight election • Kentucky Lantern United Auto Workers claim victory at EV battery plant in Kentucky, though final vote tally is uncertain with dozens of ballots being challenged.

Sure looks like the workers at Kentucky's largest battery plant is close to having a union. Nothing is certain yet, but the fact that there is this much support for organizing in our current environment is really amazing.
kentuckylantern.com/2025/08/28/u...

2025 Scorecard on State Health System Performance The Commonwealth Fund 2025 Scorecard ranks states’ health care systems based on how well they provide high-quality, accessible, and equitable health care.

In 2025, where you live still matters to your health.

Our state scorecard report tracks access, outcomes, and equity in all 50 states.
View the 2025 Scorecard to see how your state ranked.

In pre-birthing classes etc. people are often told that labor can take awhile, you don't need to rush to hospital. My labor first went realllllllllly fast. I arrived at hospital about 10 minute drive away almost too far along to get an epidural. An hour earlier I wasn't even sure I was in labor.

As someone who relies heavily on government data for research (not BLS data per se), I am very worried that I am going to have a black box of omitted years in certain data sets. I have concerns with the quality of the data and it's going to take a lot of effort to validate it.

Dr. Erika McEntarfer has devoted her career to public service. She has conducted herself as BLS Commissioner with great integrity. There is no evidence whatsoever that BLS data are politically biased.

#econsky

What to make of POTUS's attempt to fire the Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)?

Let's run down what knowledgable people are saying...

Firing the BLS Commissioner — the wonk in charge of the statisticians who track economic reality — is an authoritarian four alarm fire.

It will also backfire: You can't bend economic reality, but you can break the trust of markets. And biased data yields worse policy.

(The internal logic of the conspiracy allegations is also bizarre.

He claims Biden HELPED himself by publishing initial high numbers & then announcing a downward revision.

Now BLS is HURTING Trump by publishing initial high numbers & then announcing a downward revision?)

To me, today's jobs report is what entering a recession looks like. Could we pull up? Sure. But if we look back and end up dating an official recession that starts 3-6 months from now, this is what it would look like today - rapid softening/deterioration in the labor market.

Cuts to Data Collection May Erode Reliability of Economic Statistics

Powell stressed today that the Fed's decisions will be based on how the economic data performs in coming months.
One problem: That data may be becoming less reliable.
My story on the BLS's latest cuts to CPI data collection:
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/30/b... #EconSky

KFF bar chart showing the distribution of proposed 2026 rate increases among 105 ACA Marketplace insurers in 19 states and D.C. The chart shows that the median proposed increase is about 15%.

ACA Marketplace insurers are proposing the biggest premium increases since 2018 — a median jump of 15%, per our analysis.

They cite rising health care costs, the expected expiration of enhanced tax credits, and the impact of tariffs as key factors: on.kff.org/3TIMVwq

Stacked bar chart showing shares of U.S. adults by party, MAGA support, and coverage type who say the tax and budget bill will help, hurt, or not make much difference.

Our latest poll about the new tax and spending law shows:

72% of Democrats and 53% of independents say it will hurt their families.

54% of Republicans say it will help their families. Among MAGA supporters, 61% say it will help.

See more findings: on.kff.org/453Ozhc

CFPB Paying Nearly $5 Million for Vought’s Security Detail (1) The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is sending nearly $5 million to the Office of Management and Budget to pay for a security detail for Russell Vought, who currently leads both agencies.

Vought’s splurge on personal bodyguards comes at a time when he’s forcing the rest of CFPB to make new budget cuts. All because Vought refuses to use the funds that are already budgeted & available.

Kentucky Minimum Wage Now Half its Previous Peak, and Below Poverty Line - Kentucky Center for Economic Policy As of this week, it has been 16 years since the minimum wage was increased. Failure to increase this threshold has left working Kentuckians with a wage floor less than half of what it once was and dri...

Congress needs to raise the minimum wage, but Kentucky should too. 28 states and DC (plus many local gov'ts) have risen theirs, and there's no reason we cant either. Its sensible economic policy that would have benefits throughout the economy. More here👇
kypolicy.org/kentucky-min...

But those supports have recently been slashed by congress.

"But wait!" you may say, "didn't congress eliminate tax on tips and overtime?" That is true, but the dollar value of that tax cut is so much lower than a $17 minimum wage that, tied to program cuts, folks are worse off.

The result of this collapsed floor is that the minimum wage is below the poverty threshold for a full-time, year-round worker.

Because nearly half a million Kentuckians earn below a more livable wage ($17 per hour), many workers now use public aid for things like food and medicine.

An effective wage floor would result in a lot of people earning the minimum wage, because it would be high enough to meet basic needs.

But as of last year, there are no minimum-wage-earning Kentucky workers (though many incarcerated and disabled folks earn subminimum wages).

Today marks 16 years since the last minimum wage increase. Because of inflation and inaction, America's (and Kentucky's) wage floor is now less than half its previous peak, and below the poverty line for the first time.

We're now at our lowest, inflation-adjusted minimum wage since December 1949.

1/ Childcare is one of the biggest expenses families face, up there with rent or a mortgage. Paired with low wages for caregivers and endless waitlists, it’s a prime example of a broken market.

Building a Vision for Universal Public Childcare: Principles for a Childcare System That Works for Workers and Families - Roosevelt Institute In a new analysis, Lena Bilik and coauthors argue that the US needs bold, transformative public investments to create a universal early childhood care and education (ECE) system that can meet the need...

11/ 📘 Read the report: rooseveltinstitute.org/publications... (By @lbilik.bsky.social, Mary Beth Salomone Testa, @suzmkahn.bsky.social, Nina Dastur, and Meredith Loomis Quinlan

Food banks see ‘dire’ days from Trump’s cuts in food assistance | Opinion The ‘big, beautiful bill’ will exacerbate growing hunger in the US | Opinion

The ‘big, beautiful bill’ will exacerbate growing hunger in the US | Opinion

Kentucky public media stations to lose millions after Congressional rescission vote Kentucky’s public broadcasting stations are set to lose millions of dollars in potential annual funding after Congress passed a $9 billion rescission package Thursday night.

Kentucky’s public broadcasting stations will lose millions of dollars in funding after Congress passed a $9 billion rescission package Thursday night. From @justinhicks.lpm.org