Demos

With millions of American families facing foreclosure and the U.S. Senate moving toward approval of a compromise bill, the public policy center Demos takes stock of the housing market crisis and the federal response to date. The findings of a new Demos report--"Beyond the Mortgage Meltdown: Addressing the Current Crisis, Avoiding a Future Catastrophe"--show that, beyond the terrible consequences families face in this crisis, the housing market is in short- and long-term economic peril.

Publication of a new "Economic State of Young America" report that provides benchmarks for understanding the economic conditions experienced by young adults in America-and evidence of long-term destabilization across key economic factors, including: - The flat income and unstable job trends among today's young workers--also examining poverty rates, unemployment trends by race, quality of work, insurance rates, and incarceration rates by race. - The rapid proliferation of debt--examining student loan debt and its impact on wealth and savings, the rapid growth of… more

Health care costs are rising sharply, placing stress on employers, individuals, and families. As employers look to rein in benefit costs, they are increasingly turning towards health insurance options that feature greater employee cost sharing through higher deductibles, co-payments, and other forms of out-of-pocket expenses. Others are dropping coverage entirely. Financially stretched low- and middle-income families, however, can scarcely afford these higher medical expenses. To meet out-of-pocket medical expenses, many patients are turning to credit cards and accruing medical debt. The use of credit cards for medical… more