NPR 2010-03-23

President Obama is expected to sign the healthcare overhaul 1 legislation into law tomorrow. The president says the House action approving the bill last night proves Americans are still capable of doing big things and tackling big challenges.

“We proved that this government, a government of the people and by the people, still works for the people.”

But many Americans are wondering how and when the new law will work for them. NPR’s Joanne Silberner reports the changes will unfold over the next few years.

First up, includes help for parents and people on Medicare. Parents will be able to keep their dependent children on their health insurance plans until their kids hit 26. People who have the Prescription 2 Drug Program through Medicare can get $250 toward drug payments in the donut hole when their insurance drops out. The bill provides five billion dollars in the next three months to set up insurance plans for people who have preexisting conditions. Insurers will no longer be able to retroactively cancel a policy after someone gets sick, unless there’s problem involved. No more co-payments would be required for preventive care, no more lifetime caps on insurance payouts and there’s an immediate 3 tax credit for some small businesses that buy health insurance for their workers. Joanne Silberner, NPR News.

The community group ACORN 4 says it plans to shut down in the coming months. NPR’s Pam Fessler reports the move follows months of struggle after Congress cut off federal funding to the controversial organization.

ACORN has been under siege since the release last year of embarrassing undercover videos. They showed ACORN workers advising a couple pretending to be a pimp and a prostitute and how to conceal 5 their activities. Congress quickly cut off millions of dollars in funding for the group which used the money to advise low-income individuals on housing and other issues. A federal judge has since ruled that move unconstitutional, but many of ACORN state chapters have already shut down or reorganized into new groups. In a statement, ACORN says it will close its remaining state chapters by April 1st and make plans to phase out all other operations. CEO Bertha Lewis has blamed a unwarranted right-wing attack for the group's demise 6, although ACORN officials have admitted that the group was poorly managed over the years. Pam Fessler, NPR News, Washington.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is reaffirming the administration’s opposition 7 to Israel’s policy of expanding Jewish settlements. Clinton says that policy endangers the process of reaching an agreement that would include establishment of a Palestinian state.

“A two-state solution is the only viable 8 path for Israel to remain both a democracy and a Jewish state.”

Clinton speaking in Washington. Israel’s prime minister has arrived in Washington for talks tomorrow with the president.

Stocks are higher just before the close. Analysts 9 say the market was bolstered 10 today by gains in healthcare related stocks following last night’s vote in the House. The Dow up 51 points.

This is NPR News from Washington.

Vice 11 President Biden says the income tax refunds 13 Americans are getting this year are up nearly 10% on average compared to last year. The IRS says the average refund 12 is just over $3,000. Biden credits the administration’s economic stimulus 14 plan.

“Because of the Recovery Act providing $300 billion in tax cuts, millions of middle-class Americans are going to get hundreds of thousands of dollars in relief.”

Biden speaking at a news conference with Treasury 15 Secretary Timothy Geithner who urged Americans to take advantage of every tax break to which they're entitled.

“Don’t leave your money on the table. The more you can claim, the more money is put back into the economy, helping 16 us grow out of this crisis.”

The IRS says it has already paid out about $175 billion in tax refunds.

JetBlue Airline says it will keep its headquarters in New York City. NPR’s Margot Adler reports the decision ends a months-long competition between New York and Orlando.

For the last ten years, the airline which went from a small startup to being the seventh biggest airline in America has been based in New York with financial officers in Connecticut. But it has a training center in Orlando. Last year, JetBlue said it would consider moving its headquarters and in October, it said it was considering Orlando and New York. The Orlando Sentinel reported that while Orlando offered the company a package worth millions of dollars, it was not nearly enough to build a new headquarters. Margot Adler, NPR News, New York.

Google says it will not pull out of China altogether but will shift much of its search engine operations to Hong Kong off the mainland. Google’s top lawyer says the move is an effort to make good on the company’s promise to stop China’s censoring 17 of searches onto Google.