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SUNDAY

DECEMBER 21, 2014

FINAL EDITION

2014 PENNSYLVANIA NEWSPAPER OF THE YEAR

2012 PULITZER PRIZE FOR LOCAL REPORTING

Medicaid expansion

SURVIVING THE STORM

FIVE YEARS AFTER THE GREAT RECESSION

Are we
better off?
ABOUT THIS PACKAGE
The Great Recession began in December
2007 and ended in June 2009, according to
the National Bureau of Economic Research.
At 18 months, it was the longest post-World
War II recession. It also was the deepest on
record since the Great Depression.
Five years after the end of the recession,
PennLive/The Patriot-News wanted to find
out how midstaters are faring in the ongoing economic recovery.

INSIDE TODAY
We look at various aspects of life after
the recession and ask readers if they
feel they are better off than they
were five years ago.
PAGE A10 | From the housing
market to the supermarket,
how has life changed?
PAGE A11 | There are more
people in need, but are there
enough willing to help?
PAGE A12 | What do car
sales say about recovery?
PAGE A13 | Jobs are
paying less, college
costs are higher; how
are people coping?

BY IVEY DEJESUS
idejesus@pennlive.com

re we better off?
Thats really what it boils
down to when the conversation begins about everything
from the price of gas to our
jobs to the condition of our
finances to the value of our
homes. Are we better off than we were in 2008,
the year the recession hit so many of us, producing
gut-wrenching accounts of so many individuals
and families being kicked to the curb and losing
much of our life savings?
Yes, the stock market is bullish. Oil and gas prices are down; wages, jobs and the housing market
while not ablaze are on a steady uptick. But
are we better off now than we were then?
Bottom line: There is no one size fits all.
Amid the narratives of people who have lost
their jobs, people who are once again enjoying prosperity and the measured assurances
of the economic experts, one thing is
certain: Recovery is relative, at times
intangible, often contradictory.
STORY CONTINUES
O N PA G E A 10

Health care
providers hit
hard by glitch
BY DANIEL SIMMONS-RITCHIE
simmons-ritchie@pennlive.com

On the eve of an unprecedented

overhaul of Pennsylvanias Medicaid program, health care providers
statewide are reporting that a glitch
is preventing them from getting reimbursed for care given to thousands of drug addicts and mentally
ill patientsthis month.
Deb Beck, president of the Drug
and Alcohol Service Providers Organization of Pennsylvania, said the
problem is creating a crisis for providers, particularly small nonprofits, which are being forced to decide
whether to swallow the cost of care
or deny treatment.
Its just incredible, Beck said
lastweek. We have families who
desperately want help, kids who
want help and access. This has become a nightmare.
Medicaid is a federally funded program that provides subsidized health care to low-income
people. In Pennsylvania, the program, known as HealthChoices, covers about 2.3 million residents. Next month, under changes

Services for many

drug addicts and
mentally ill patients
are not being repaid
by the state because
of problems related
to the overhaul. Deb
Beck, above, of the
Drug and Alcohol
Service Providers,
says more Medicaid
patients are being
referred to county
assistance offices.
Inside, online
Capital BlueCross
to provide naloxone for
overdoses. Back Page

See the states memo

at PennLive.com.

Please see CRISIS on Back Page

license plates

Could EZ-ID symbols

save lives during crime?

70

A new plate using five larger numbers,

letters and figures is under review in
Massachusetts, and Rep. Regan plans
to try to bring it to Pennsylvania.

percent of all
serious crimes
involve
a motor vehicle

BY CHRISTIAN ALEXANDERSEN

calexandersen@pennlive.com

For 10 years, Gary Richardhas

been trying to get a concept approved by the Massachusetts Legislature. Richard wants to shorten
license plate numbers and add universally recognized symbols.
The goalisto make license plates
easier to identify whencrimes occur. And asthe EZ-ID license plate
designmakes significant headway
in Massachusetts, it also has found
a friend in Pennsylvania: stateRep.
Mike Regan, R-Dillsburg.
Regan, a former U.S. marshal, plans
to introduce a bill next year that would
adopt the EZ-ID license plate design in
Pennsylvania. The plan would be to go
from using seven letters and numbers
to a license plate that has five larger-sized numbers, letters and symbols.

If you had a
watch or a
computer that
only worked
1 percent
of the time,
youd say
that you need
something
better.

Gary Richard,
inventor of the EZ-ID plates

Please see PLATE on Back Page

Living

Nation & World

Saving money

Opinion

A gunman assassinates
two Brooklyn police officers
on a crime-reduction patrol in
retaliation for the death of Eric
Garner before turning the gun on
himself, authorities say.
PAGE A21

If youre one of the 98.6 million

people who will be traveling for
the holiday this year, you might
choose a rental car to get you
there. Find four tips for saving
money when picking up the keys.
PAGE B1

Columnist Charles Lane is

skeptical the Obama administration or its successorswill
have the diplomatic smartsto
maneuver the Castro regime
into letting its people have
more freedom. PAGE C1

Wrap up your
Officers
holiday shopping ambushed
Youve got four days to find something for
everyone left on your gift list. Let us
help. From the outdoor lover to
the gamer or fashionista, find the
perfect, last-minute gifts theyre
going to love. PAGE D1

Partly sunny

Forecast, BACK PAGE

41 25

Volume 66, No. 15 | Copyright 2014, The Patriot-News Co.

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