EOI Updates Washington hospitals say 30 percent profit isn’t enough April 25, 2019 / October 26, 2026 by Matthew Caruchet As the 2019 session draws to a close, state legislators are considering how to implement Cascade Care, which would create a state-sponsored plan for the individual market to reduce health care premiums and deductibles. Both chambers have passed Cascade Care bills, but different versions, which need to be united to pass. Senate Bill 5526 in […] Read more »
EOI Updates Worried about Medicare for all, insurers are stockpiling your money April 23, 2019 / October 26, 2026 by Matthew Caruchet For most of 2019, stock market advisors have said to steer clear of investing in health insurance companies. In fact, health-care stocks are lagging the broader market by their largest margin since 2006, even though many are producing record profits. Stock investors are afraid the “Medicare for All” movement embraced by some Democratic presidential candidates […] Read more »
EOI Updates Legislature to consider tax on overpaid, undertaxed millionaire magnates April 17, 2019 / October 26, 2026 by Matthew Caruchet For a PDF fact sheet, click here. Today, the Washington State Legislature began considering a bill to tax some of the elephantine and ridiculous salaries in our state. (Most likely not yours.) We’re talking people who are paid more than $1 million per year. (Surprisingly, not Jeff Bezos. His money is in tax-free capital gains). […] Read more »
EOI Updates The snake oil in the rural development and Opportunity Zone Act March 27, 2019 / October 26, 2026 by Matthew Caruchet “OZ” is almost synonymous with charlatanism. The Wizard of Oz was just a man behind the curtain pretending he had fearsome powers. Dr. Mehmet Oz from television advocates for astrology and has been called before Congress for selling “miracle” diet pills. And now, traveling fraudsters are trying to get the Washington Legislature to invest in […] Read more »
EOI Updates Your cat needs a job! March 26, 2019 / October 26, 2026 by Matthew Caruchet Illustrations by Ellen Crenshaw All across the country, it’s harder than ever to survive. Even though the unemployment rate is low, that doesn’t mean people are making more money. People are working more hours at their job – or jobs – and are still just barely getting by. Wages for the typical worker haven’t improved […] Read more »
EOI Updates What health care providers mean when they say they can’t lower costs March 14, 2019 / October 26, 2026 by Matthew Caruchet When you start a career in nonprofit work, you’re generally giving up on earning Bezos-like money, even if you make it to the top. As an old mentor used to say, “There are hundreds of dollars to be made in doing the right thing.” To wit: EOI is a nonprofit. It paid its leader $85,208 […] Read more »
EOI Updates Only the wealthy decide what social issues to fix January 19, 2019 / October 26, 2026 by Matthew Caruchet Microsoft announced this week that it will spend $500 million to offset the lack of affordable housing and combat homelessness around Lake Washington. The money will be dispensed through loans and grants to promote development and support the homeless through legal aid, financial funding, and casework. It’s hard to say that the noblesse oblige of large […] Read more »
EOI Updates What is given is then taken away October 22, 2018 / October 26, 2026 by Matthew Caruchet In a democracy, rights are not earned, they are given. The Bill of Rights, voting rights, Miranda Rights – these are ethics determined by popular assent. The majority of the people can undo anything the government does, if the people vote. In this system, it’s a fallacy that civil rights are “won” – minorities are […] Read more »
EOI Updates We’re number 1! October 17, 2018 / October 26, 2026 by Matthew Caruchet We did it, Washington! Washington State still has the most unequal and unjust tax system in the country! That means lower-income and middle-class people have a much higher tax rate than the wealthy. We’re Number 1! If you feel like you’re paying a lot in taxes, you may be – if you’re lower-income, you’re paying […] Read more »
EOI Updates Gay men in Washington: Underpaid and overworked, hunty! June 15, 2018 / October 26, 2026 by Matthew Caruchet The Economic Opportunity Institute just released a new report on the gay wage gap in Washington State. Read it here. The Census Bureau doesn’t try to collect data on LGBT people. No administration has made that a priority. But with some charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent, we can learn still about queer incomes. Gay men […] Read more »
