Daily Report Blog

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced yesterday that Illinois, Nevada, Oregon, South Dakota, Tennessee and Washington will receive more than $181 million in grants to establish Affordable Insurance Exchanges, which will help consumers and small businesses choose a private health insurance plan; 34 states and the District of Columbia have received grants to fund such exchanges to date.

The 5/17/12 New York Times reported that Whites accounted for 49.6% of all births between July 2010 and 2011, according to Census Bureau data, while minorities—including Hispanics, Blacks, Asians and those of mixed race—reached 50.4%, representing a majority for the first time in the country’s history.

The 5/17/12 Detroit Free Press reports that the unemployment rate in Michigan fell to 8.3% in April, the lowest jobless rate since July 2008​, while tax revenues have increased by $300 million this year to boost the state economy.