Bianca Phillips reports on a new map showing the number and location of the residents of Shelby County eligible for Obamacare — if the state were to participate.
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Month: February 2014
A new interactive map by the Urban Institute displays the numbers of poor and low-income uninsured people across the U.S. who would be eligible for Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act expansion.
For the Memphis/Bartlett/Collierville area, the map show 15,200 poor, uninsured people and 28,600 low-income, uninsured residents that would be eligible for Medicaid under an expansion. That’s 23 percent and 44 percent of the uninsured population, respectively.
So far, Tennessee governor Bill Haslam has elected to not expand TennCare, the state’s Medicaid program. But it isn’t too late for him to take the federal government’s offer to pay 100 percent of the cost of the expansion for the first three years. After that, the federal government would pay 90 percent of the cost in the next three years. Republican Representative Jeremy Durham of Franklin is sponsoring a bill in the Tennessee General Assembly that would require Haslam to get lawmakers’ approval should he decide to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act.
The Affordable Care Act puts the decision to expand Medicaid coverage to non-elderly adults with incomes below 138 percent of the federal poverty level in the hands of the states. In states, such as Tennessee, that choose not to expand, uninsured adults with incomes between 100 and 138 percent of the federal poverty level may qualify for subsidies to help them pay for an insurance plan offered through healthcare.gov, but those with incomes below poverty level do not have access to new coverage options. So far, 25 states and Washington, D.C. have opted to expand Medicaid.
Yesterday, while trying to make sense of the crisis at the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, I quoted a cautious, but generally upbeat interview with former Memphis Symphony Orchestra CEO Ryan Fleur, and noted that he had every reason to be optimistic. It’s important to understand that the organization’s forward motion can only be understood in the context of ongoing economic difficulty. It was February, 2011, the orchestra was trying new and exciting things, and, as I noted, the ink was once again black. But things had been tougher in previous years, and the hungry bear would return in 2011 to take a bite out of the MSO’s total assets. But at that moment in time new revenue and granting opportunities, and a higher public profile, gave the appearance that he MSO was ahead of the curve when it came to figuring out how manage all the challenges facing American orchestras.
Memphis’ professional classical ensemble had momentum but the wind was hardly at their backs. The company had taken some real hits, and once the positive trend started, there wasn’t much room for backsliding. Here are some numbers that tell a story.
Fiscal year 2008Total revenue minus expenses : – $1,731,985
Net Assets: $2, 365, 243
Fiscal Year 2009
Total revenue minus expenses: – $388,515
Net Assets :$2,412,723 Net assets up
Fiscal Year 2010
Total revenue minus expenses: $111,961
Net assets: $2,541,365 Net assets up
Fiscal Year 2011
Total revenue minus expenses: -651,148
Net assets: $1,930541 Net assets down.
The Biggest Changes
Investment income seems to fluctuate the most. In 2008 the MSO lost $309,862. In 2009 they lost $111,700. In 2010 the number moves into the positive column to the tune of $405, 058. It stays positive in 2011, but drops significantly to $1,383.
Gifts and grants fluctuate between a low of $2,076,245 in 2008 to a high of 3,029,031 in 2010. The trend is upward by roughly a half-million per year 2008-10. In 2011 the number drops by a little less than $25,000 to $2,782,654.
Total expenses range from a low of $3,854.274 in 2009 to high of $4,765,387 in 2011. Total expenses for 2008 were also comparatively high: $$4,747,915.
Salaries and Compensation numbers were highest in 2008: $3,411,098. That figure drops to $2,763,116 in 2009 and then creeps back up to $3,367,917.
The Cooper-Young Community Farmers Market will stay in its namesake Midtown neighborhood.
Market leaders considered moving the market to Overton Square late last year but have decided to remain in the parking lot of First Congregational Church on Cooper.
The decision comes after “deliberation with vendors, First Congregational Church and community members,” according to the market’s Facebook page. Also, “recommitting to the neighborhood is the best thing for the market.”
The market will host a “Kick-Off Day” on Saturday, April 5 “to start spring with new energy and recommitment to the neighborhood.”
The market is open year round on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and is located at 1000 S. Cooper.
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Football Signing Day!
Here’s a quick summary of coach Justin Fuente’s third class of recruits. (Class represents player’s standing for 2014 season.)
Tyler Kolodny TE 6-3 245 So. Woodland Hills, Calif./LA Pierce College
Noah Robinson LB 6-4 235 Fr. Worcester, Mass./Atlanta Sports Academy
Jason Stewart QB 6-3 210 Jr. Alexandria, Va./Fort Scott CC
Tyler Uselton OL 6-3 330 Jr. Great Bend, Kan./Butler CC
Carlos Williams DB 5-11 185 Fr. Covington, Tenn./Covington HS
Jace Neville OL 6-6 260 Fr. Columbia, Mo./Rock Bridge HS
Roderick Proctor WR 5-11 161 Fr. Orlando, Fla./Dr. Phillips HS
Curtis Akins LB 6-2 220 Fr. Byhalia, Miss./Byhalia HS
Caleb Grant DE 6-4 240 Fr. Byhalia, Miss./Byhalia HS
Trevon Tate OL/DL 6-4 280 Fr. Galena Park, Texas/North Shore HS
Greg McKillion WR 6-5 225 So. Blytheville, Ark./Independence CC
Clay Holgorsen QB 6-1 183 Fr. Katy Texas/James E. Taylor HS
Genard Avery LB 6-1 220 Fr. Grenada, Miss./Grenada HS
Shareef White LB 6-1 220 Fr. Grenada, Miss./Grenada HS
Jarvis Cooper RB 6-1 255 Fr. West Memphis, Ark./West Memphis Sr HS
Brujoun Bonner DB 6-3 190 Fr. St. Petersburg, Fla./Lakewood HS
Christian Boutte DB 5-10 176 Fr. Opelousas, La./Opelousas HS
Tyler Jones OL 6-5 271 Fr. Albertville, Ala./Albertville HS
McKenzie Hill DE 6-3 240 Fr. Memphis, Tenn./Evangelical Christian School
Isadore Outing DE 6-4 245 Fr. Houston, Texas/Dekaney HS
Thomas Brown LB 6-2 210 So. Gardena, California/Riverside City College
The craziest boy you’ve ever seen is coming to the Fitz in Tunica. He’s bringing his band. You may have heard of them. Loverboy? Yeah. I wonder if they still thematically use the color red. I hope so. Are you unclear on how to make a face during a drumfill? Rest your wearied mind when the video hits 2:10. Take your rested, formerly wearied mind down to Fitz and turn loose the craziest boy you’ve ever seen. For the sake of all that is good, he wants to fly.
New Headline
Marilyn Sadler, senior editor at Memphis magazine, wants writers to know: The magazine will accept stories for its annual fiction contest through February 15th. (The original deadline was February 1st.)
Below are contest guidelines:
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Authors must live within 150 miles of Memphis. You may submit more than one story but each entry must be accompanied by a $10 entry fee, with check or money orders payable to Memphis magazine. Each story should be typed, double-spaced, with unstapled, numbered pages. Stories should be between 3,000 and 4,500 words long. They are not required to have a Memphis or Southern theme.
With each story should be a cover letter that gives us your name, address, phone number, and the title of your story. Please do NOT put your name on the manuscript itself. Manuscripts may be previously published as long as previous publication was not in a national magazine with over 20,000 circulation or in a regional publication within Shelby County.
Manuscripts should be sent to Fiction Contest, c/o Memphis magazine, P.O. Box 1738, Memphis, TN 38101. Please do NOT send faxes or emails. Authors wishing their manuscripts returned must include a self-addressed stamped envelope with each entry.
As in the past, the winning story will earn a $1,000 grand prize and will be published in our annual culture issue, which runs in June. Two honorable mention awards of $500 each will be given if the quality of entries warrants. Winners will be contacted by early April. This contest is co-sponsored by the Booksellers at Laurelwood and Burke’s Book Store.
If you have further questions, call Marilyn Sadler at 521-9000, ext. 451, or email her at sadler@memphismagazine.com.
And again, that new fiction contest deadline is February 15th.
We know that you know that Memphis’ son Steve Selvidge is in the Hold Steady. He and they tore the roof off the Hi-Tone a week ago today as the band embarked on a ramp-up tour in advance of their new album, Teeth Dreams, due out in March. Here’s what we’ve said about it all so far:
Fried Here in Memphis
Q&A with Steve Selvidge
Q&A with Craig Finn
All that said, the Hold Steady just released a terrific video about Selvidge, his road to joining the band, and what he brings to their music. It’s got Memphis all over it, including mentions of the Bloodthirsty Lovers and the Grifters; check it out if you have a few.
- Larry Kuzniewski
- Subplot to watch: will Jamaal Franklin still be the backup point guard?
The Grizzlies did not win at Oklahoma City on Monday night, but the Grizzlies and the Thunder sure made a mess of it: the Grizzlies scored 77 points, their lowest total of the season, but they also held Oklahoma City to 86 in the process. The offense wasn’t working, and surprisingly enough it didn’t seem like the absence of Mike Conley was the only reason. The Thunder in general have been playing good defense as of late, and Serge Ibaka caused all kinds of problems for Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol, as he is wont to do.
That was an important game, but the one tonight is even more so: the Grizzlies face the Mavericks at home for the first time all season. Both previous engagements between the two teams happened in Dallas—the first in the “lost weekend” of the first two weeks of the season when the Grizzlies didn’t stumble out of the gate so much as fall face-first into a mud puddle, and the second featured a starting lineup of Jerryd Bayless, Tony Allen, Zach Randolph, Mike Miller, and Kosta Koufos due to injuries to Mike Conley, Tayshaun Prince, and Marc Gasol.
What makes tonight so important is the Western Conference playoff race. Currently in the standings, the Grizzlies are back in 9th place, a game behind Dallas, after jumping up to 8th place for a brief moment over the weekend based on overall win percentage. A Grizzlies win tonight is critical for grabbing and holding the 8th spot. A Grizzlies loss puts that much more space between the Mavs and the Griz.
It’s not going to be easy: the Grizzlies go into their third game without Mike Conley at the point, which was easy enough to overcome against the Bucks, but was clearly a factor Monday night against the Thunder. Nick Calathes has played very well while holding the Grizzlies’ reins, but Nick Calathes isn’t an All Star caliber player, and that sort of absence isn’t so easy to gloss over.
What does work in the Grizzlies’ favor, however, is Dallas’ defense: the Mavericks are currently 24th in the league in (unadjusted) defensive rating, allowing an average of 108.6 points per 100 possessions, putting them in such elite company as the Nets, Knicks, Lakers, Pelicans, Kings, Bucks, and Jazz. The Grizzlies have played some other teams in that category recently, and with the Anthony Davis-sized exception of the Pelicans, they’ve fared well. Exploiting the weaknesses in Dallas’ D is going to be the key to success tonight. We know this is a Grizzlies team that can play defense, even with Conley and Tony Allen on the bench in suits. Scoring and getting into a rhythm will go a long way toward securing the all-important victory tonight.
Other subplot to keep an eye on: Jamaal Franklin got backup point guard minutes again vs. the Thunder on Monday night. Originally, when it happened (unsuccessfully) against the Bucks on Saturday, I laughed it off as a Patented Weird Joerger Lineup Experiment™ and figured it wouldn’t happen again. But. He wasn’t good against the Thunder, but I’ve had a change of heart about the whole thing.
Franklin is a rookie who needs minutes however he can get them. There’s a good chance that, if/when he evolves into a rotation player, he’s going to have to bring the ball up the court. Where’s the harm? If the team (and this is assuming Joerger plays Franklin over new 10-day man Darius Morris) can stay afloat while Franklin is driving, and not make too many costly bad decisions, I’m all in favor of letting the rookie learn on the job while getting some PT. If he crashes and burns, throw Morris out there after two or three minutes. If he stays afloat, let him have a little bit of burn.
No matter whether it’s Franklin or Morris or the Prince/Lee/Miller troika doing the backup duties, the Grizzlies need to make sure the offense is clicking tonight to exploit the Mavericks’ biggest weakness. The playoff seeding implications make this one as important as a regular season game gets.
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Sound Advice: Thursday
The Creepshow @ Young Avenue Deli
The Creepshow plays music in the American grain, but all creepy. Upright bass is the deal of the century.
Sound Advice: Thursday
K Theory @ Newby’s
K Theory brings the midtempo revolution to Newby’s.
Sound Advice: Thursday (2)