Tag: World

FG’s $400m Loan: Political Interests Behind Nigeria’s Worsening Debt Profile, Says Economist

Nigeria’s worsening debt profile is caused by political interests and corruption, an economic expert has said.

A political economist, Dr Chukwuma Okoli, stated this on Monday in Enugu while responding to questions pertaining to the federal government moves to obtain $400m loan from the World Bank.

Our correspondent reports that the Tinubu administration had approached the World Bank for a fresh loan of $400m for the conditional cash transfer to 15 million households as one of the measures to cushion the effects of petrol subsidy removal on Nigerians.

The loan will bring to $1.2bn the amount that the FG is borrowing from the World Bank for the cash transfer as it had earlier secured a loan of $800m for the same purpose.

President Tinubu disclosed the conditional cash transfer to 15 million households in his address during the country’s independence on October 1 as part of measures to cushion the effects of the subsidy removal on petrol, which has led to an astronomic rise in the cost of living.

The payment of N25,000 monthly to 15 million households for three months will be from October to December 2023, he said.

Okolie said, “Nigeria’s debt profile is becoming a burden. This is because the political interest overrides everything. There are also personal interests. According to the Debt Management Office (DMO), Nigeria’s total public debt rose to N87.38 trillion in the second quarter (Q2) of 2023, recording an increase of 75.29 percent.

“We should also note that states owe in Nigeria’s over N87.38trn debt. Ten percent of the sum is owed by our thirty-six states and the Federal Capital Territory.

“Our debt servicing is scary. In the first quarter, about N1.3trn is used to service our debts. The nation’s oil revenue is about N1.trn. The opportunity cost is huge. Debt is a vicious circle – you borrow more to come out of the burden of already borrowed debts.”

Okolie said there is nothing wrong in borrowing, but Nigeria’s lack of transparency does not make borrowing profitable for the country.

He added, “The bane is lack of transparency and corruption. To make borrowing favourable, we should focus on where such funds could yield profits. These borrowings are factored in the budgets, and the budgets always balance.

“The truth is that Nigeria defies all social science theories because of corruption. This is the main reason why funds borrowed are not properly utilised. Projects they were meant to execute are not seen, and such funds have been expended. Nigeria has one of the highest project execution costs in the world, and the single cause is corruption.”

Okoli also spoke on the recommendation of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank that taxes be imposed on Nigerians to sustain the economy.

He said, “Both bodies are created to sustain the global capitalist system. Their suggestions are anchored on liberal economy, which cannot help Nigeria. They encourage us to impose more taxes on the citizenry. IMF’s interests do not align with Nigeria’s model. Taxing the poor masses creates more poverty. IMF gives blind eye to our plight.”

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October 16, 2023
Funeral worker arrested for having int*rcourse with dead man’s s*x doll

A funeral worker was arrested last week after he had sex with a life-sized doll that belonged to the dead man he was tasked with transporting, police said.

Ryan Smith, 41, was arrested Friday, Oct. 13, on charges of burglary, criminal trespassing, and tampering with physical evidence. He was promptly fired from his Omaha mortuary job.

Smith spotted the sex doll inside the Rock Creek Apartments unit he and a colleague were dispatched to collect the body of a man who died a natural death, according to court documents.

The pair were working on behalf of Mid America First Call, a company that removes, transports, embalms and cremates bodies.

Later that day, Smith allegedly called the property manager and claimed the Sarpy County Sheriff’s Office was sending him back to the unit to collect the doll so it could be swabbed for “a biopsy”.

The manager caught Smith having sex with the doll while investigating noises coming from inside the unit, which was deadbolted and locked with a chain.

Smith then allegedly walked out — with his clothing disheveled — and warned the manager he would return with a warrant for the doll.

The manager called the police and reported the fiasco, saying he was worried the funeral worker would return to break in and steal property from the apartment.

Investigators arrived and noticed that several items inside the unit had been moved since their death investigation earlier in the day.

The Douglas County Crime Lab is in the midst of processing fingerprints lifted from the moved items — and is planning to request DNA samples from the doll.

Justin Dalton, owner of Mid America First Call, confirmed to WOWT that Smith was sacked from the job even though the crime did not occur on the clock.

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October 16, 2023
US man stabs 6-yr-old Palestinian-American boy to death over Israeli-Hamas war

The war between Israel and Palestinian militant group, Hamas has echoed in the United States of America, as a landlord was charged with murder and hate crimes Sunday after allegedly stabbing a Muslim woman and six-year-old boy dozens of times in an attack.

According to the police, the vicious attack was linked to the war between Israel and Hamas.

The child, who was stabbed 26 times, died at hospital, but the 32-year-old woman, believed to be his mother, is expected to survive the “heinous” Saturday attack, according to a statement from the Will County sheriff’s office in Illinois.

“Detectives were able to determine that both victims in this brutal attack were targeted by the suspect due to them being Muslim and the on-going Middle Eastern conflict involving Hamas and the Israelis,” said the statement, which located the killing about 40 miles (64 kilometers) west of Chicago.

The sheriff’s office did not, however, give further details or the victims’ nationality, but the Chicago office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) described the child as Palestinian-American.

According to authorities, the woman managed to call 911 as she fought off the landlord, named by the sheriff’s office as 71-year-old Joseph Czuba.

Read also: Senate pledges to expedite action on rehabiliation of Ogun highways

“Deputies located two victims inside the residence in a bedroom. Both victims had multiple stab wounds to their chest, torso, and upper extremities,” the sheriff’s statement said.

A serrated military-style knife with a seven-inch blade was pulled from the boy’s abdomen during the autopsy, the statement added.

When police arrived they found Czuba sitting on the ground near the driveway of the residence with a laceration on his forehead. He was taken to hospital for treatment before being charged with murder, attempted murder, and two counts of hate crimes.

“He knocked on the door and attempted to choke her, and said, ‘you Muslims’ must die,” Ahmed Rehab, head of CAIR’s Chicago office, told reporters, citing text messages sent by the woman to the murdered boy’s father from her hospital bed.

The attack was “our worst nightmare,” CAIR said in a statement.

Ripples Nigeria reports that Israel declared war on Hamas last Sunday, a day after the militant group’s fighters broke through the heavily fortified border and shot, stabbed and burned to death more than 1,400 people, most of them civilians.

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October 16, 2023
Tinubu’s government says Nigerian journalists deserve better living conditions

President Bola Tinubu’s government says Nigerian Journalists are working under the most difficult times and deserve better working conditions. Information minister Mohammed Idris disclosed this in an interview in Abuja.

Mr Idris, who said some journalists had paid the supreme price in the line of duties, assured that he would work within the available government resources to better their lots.

“Peculiarity allowance for journalists is a contentious issue. However, we all agree that journalists need to be encouraged and have their dues. This is because they are working under and during the most difficult times, and sometimes, they pay the supreme price just like members of our armed forces.

“Many a time, you see Journalists being embedded with members of the armed forces when they go to fight insurgents in the country, and many of them come back with injuries. You saw what happened recently in Zamfara, where a journalist lost his life because of the activities of bandits. These are not desirable things, and every minister of information would want to see that this comes to an end,” Mr Idris said.

He explained that Journalists also belong to the Nigerian state, adding that the country has its peculiarity in how it grades workers in their salaries and wages.

The minister emphasised why the government cannot just single out journalists on the issue of wage increase; it is important to look at the peculiarity of the profession and try to address them.

“I advocate that journalists should live better. I am also conscious of the fact that they operate within the confines of our economic boundary. It is, therefore, necessary that we look, not in part, but in whole, that at the end of the day, we are also seen to be responsible citizens of the country,” he said.

(NAN)

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October 16, 2023
Soulja Boy’s ex-girlfriend gets OK to seize his property — including three luxury cars

Soulja Boy’s assault case will cost him a pretty penny — and a luxury car … or three.

Court documents filed Friday reveal that a judge approved a woman’s request to seize the “Pretty Boy Swag” rapper’s property, including cash and exotic cars. In April, Soulja Boy, whose real name is DeAndre Cortez Way, was ordered to pay $471,800, including punitive damages, to ex-girlfriend Kayla Myers after a jury found that he had assaulted her.

Myers alleged in a lawsuit filed in January 2021 that the “Crank That (Soulja Boy)” artist kidnapped her and held a gun to her head at his Malibu home after a party in February 2019.

The order filed Friday said the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department “is authorized” to enter the rapper’s Bell Canyon home and “seize and levy upon” his personal property. Items listed in the order include a yellow Bentley, a red Lamborghini, a yellow Mercedes-Benz, a “diamond-studded” neck chain with the rapper’s stage name, “all other jewelry and chains, and all cash.” According to court docs, Soulja Boy “possesses large amounts (stacks) of cash (typically kept in backpacks).”

Myers is not the only woman who has accused Soulja Boy of assault. In 2021, model Nia Riley told blogger Tasha K that the rapper, whom she dated for several years, allegedly put a gun to her head when she tried to leave him and kicked her in the stomach while she was pregnant. She said she had a miscarriage shortly thereafter.

In September 2022, Nia’s father, Teddy Riley, said he was “looking for an apology for what [Soulja Boy’s] done to my daughter.”

“You gotta understand that you gotta be a man about it,” he said. “Just be a man about it and keep it moving. Because … he’s a successful guy. Why? Why all of this, and why does it have to be violent?”

Soulja Boy could not be reached for comment on Wednesday.

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© 2023 Los Angeles Times

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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October 16, 2023
Imo Govt Begins Vaccination To Prevent Measles Outbreak

The Imo State government will on Thursday begin measles vaccination across the 27 local government area of the state.

The government however, called on all parents and care givers to utilize the opportunity to immunize their wards against the deadly and contagious disease.

The government through its Primary Health Care Development Agency stated that the vaccination exercise would be for children within the age brackets of 9 to 59 months and would be carried out at various health centers and temporary fixed posts in churches, schools, markets, motor parks, mosques and where ever the targeted group is found.

Speaking during a one day stakeholders sensitization/ engagement meeting held at the premises of the State Primary Health Care Development Agency in Owerri, the Executive Secretary of the agency, Maria Joannes Uzoma disclosed that about 13 States in the federation including Imo were selected to embark on measles campaign due to the fear of measles outbreak.

Uzoma who was represented by the Director, Disease and Immunization in ISPHCDA, Dr. Uchechukwu Odom said that the injectable measles vaccine is free, adding that the state has already selected trained and qualified health personnel who would participate in the exercise.

He advised parents to disregard any negative rumours as regards the forthcoming measles immunisation exercise and assured of the safety and efficacy of the vaccine.

Also speaking, the Special Assistant to the Governor on Primary Health, Hon. Austin Iwu, commended the Executive Secretary for the meeting and stated the readiness of the government to fulfil its obligations to the success of the exercise.

He urged the stakeholders to disseminate the information about the forthcoming measles immunization exercise.

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October 16, 2023
Woman commits suicide after her groom-to-be died one week to their wedding

A bride-to-be has reportedly died by suicide in Northern Nigeria after her groom died one week before their wedding.

The wedding was supposed to hold on Oct. 22, 2023. Sadly, the groom died a week prior and the wedding was cancelled on Saturday, Oct. 14.

The bride then committed suicide on the same day.

She was said to have gone to bed alongside her father but didn’t wake up.

She reportedly left a suicide note.

See below.

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October 16, 2023
QuickRead: BBC report on Tinubu’s certificate saga. Four other stories we tracked and why they matter

A report by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) fact-checking team last week ruled out forgery of President Bola Tinubu’s academic records submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission for the February 25 election.

The Federal High Court, Abuja, the same week disqualified the former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, as the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for the November 11 election in Bayelsa State.

These and three other stories we tracked were among the most discussed national issues in the country last week.

1. BBC report on Tinubu’s certificate saga.

On October 11, the BBC in a report published by its Global Disinformation Team said there was no evidence the president altered the information in the documents he presented to the commission contrary to claims by his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) rival, Atiku Abubakar.

The report read: “Not every student graduates from university with honours. Mr. Tinubu, as attested to by CSU in several court documents seen by the BBC, did graduate from CSU with honours.

“During Mr. Westberg’s deposition, Mr. Atiku’s lawyer focused on the copy of the diploma President Tinubu handed to the electoral commission and suggested that it was unlike any of the diplomas released by CSU.

“However, while Mr. Westberg agreed with Ms. Liu that the diploma in question does not look like the samples from 1979, he stated that the certificate actually looks like three of the diplomas CSU released to Mr. Abubakar. Our analysis confirms this.”

Why it matters

The British media organization may have hit the nail on the head about the raging controversy trailing the release of the president’s academic documents by the United States-based institution.

However, as the controversy rages over the authenticity of both parties’ claims, the onus lies on the Supreme Court vis-à-vis the judiciary as the ultimate harbinger in the case not to be swayed by public opinions but the dictates of the constitution in delivering a verdict that is acceptable to all contending parties in the matter.

2. Sylva’s disqualification from Bayelsa governorship poll

Justice Donatus Okorowo of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on October 9 disqualified Sylva from next month’s election in Bayelsa.
The judge, who delivered the verdict in a suit filed by a chieftain of the APC in the state, Deme Kolomo, declared that Sylva was not qualified to run in the election because if he wins and is sworn in, he would spend more than eight years in office as governor of the state.

He said: “If we look at the constitution critically, allowing Chief Timipre Sylva to contest the November 11 election in Bayelsa State will be against the constitution of the country which states that no person should be voted for as a governor more than twice.”

Why it matters

The ruling reaffirms the importance of the constitution as the country’s rule book.
It gives a foundational structure for democracy and the political community as a whole, and any attempt to side-step it either for personal or collective gains is an invitation to anarchy.

3. Ex-minister Dalung’s confession on Buhari’s govt

A former Minister of Sports and Youth Development, Solomon Dalung, on October 9 admitted that former President Muhammadu Buhari’s government did not fulfill the promises made to Nigerians in 2015. Dalung spoke in a programme on Trust Radio.

READ ALSO:QuickRead: Ondo Assembly plots Deputy Gov’s sack. Four other stories we tracked and why they matter

He said: “We failed to meet our expectations, and I am not hypocritical because as a major stakeholder who campaigned vigorously in 2015 and went to the nooks and crannies of the north, of all the promises we made, we fulfilled none of them.
“The political covenant we had with Nigerians while campaigning was that we were going to address the security situation; we were going to revamp the economy; and we were going to give corruption a major technical blow so that we could minimize it to the barest minimum.”

Why it matters

The ex-minister may have unconsciously reopened the discussion on the action and inaction of the immediate past administration in the country.

While Dalung may have hit the nail on the head in his assessment of the Buhari government, the statement is a reminder to the Tinubu’s administration of the enormous task ahead in the efforts at correcting the mistakes of the last eight years and getting the country out of the woods.

4. PDP alleges INEC allocated votes to Gov Sule

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Nasarawa on October 11 accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of allocating votes to Governor Abdullahi Sule in the March 18 governorship election in the state.

In a statement issued by its Publicity Secretary in the state, Alhaji Ibrahim Hamza, the party challenged INEC to tell the people of Nasarawa how it arrived at the number of votes allocated to the governor.

The statement read: “In his minority judgment, Hon. Justice Ibrahim Mashi ruled that Sule scored only 295,402 votes as against the inflated votes of 347,209 freely given to him by INEC.

“The same minority judgment said Ombugadu scored 291, 603 as against the suppressed votes of 283,016 allocated to him by INEC.”

Why it matters

The PDP’s claim if sustained by higher courts would be a further blemish for INEC which had come under criticism over its handling of the last general election.

The introduction of technology into the country’s electoral process is a signal to corrupt INEC officials and their collaborators, including desperate politicians, that the era of inflated vote counts and other forms of electoral irregularities is gradually giving way to a new period of transparent process where the votes of Nigerians will begin to count in their choice of leaders.

5. Ifeanyi Ubah’s defection to APC

Ifeanyi Ubah

The Senator representing Anambra South Senatorial District, Ifeanyi Ubah, on October 12 dumped the Young Progressives Party (YPP) for the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Ubah announced his defection via a letter sent to the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and read during the plenary in Abuja.

In a chat with journalists the same day, the lawmaker said he joined the APC because of his desire to align the South-East with President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

He said: “Our president is rewarding even those who didn’t vote for him, for that it will be very difficult for any man with a conscience not to look at the direction of the centre party.
“I don’t see anyone who will come against my coming into the APC.”

Why it matters

Ubah’s decision to dump the YPP, a platform where he had secured a seat in the National Assembly for eight years, has again confirmed politics as an interest-driven game with personal gain constantly influencing the decisions of the players in the system.

By Hamed Shobiye

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October 16, 2023
134 nabbed for cocaine trafficking; multimillion-naira worth of drugs seized in Abuja: NDLEA

The FCT command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says it seized 3,988.74kg of assorted drugs with a financial value of N80 million and arrested over 100 people for drug trafficking in Abuja.

The FCT commander of narcotics, Kabir Tsakuwa, disclosed this on Monday in Abuja.

Mr Tsakuwa, however, said 134 suspected drug traffickers, peddlers and abusers were also arrested in the same period. The drugs included cannabis sativa, cocaine, methamphetamine, Tramadol, Rohypnol and diazepam.

He added that the major drug seized by the NDLEA operatives of the NDLEA was cannabis sativa, adding that many suspects were prosecuted and convicted in the same period.

According to him, cannabis sativa seized within the same period was 3,861.789kg and 0.038kg of cocaine.

“Others include diazepam, which weighs 13.63Kg, Tramadol weighs 105.136Kg while methamphetamine weighs 3.024Kg, ecstasy weighs 0.009kg with Pentazocine weighing 1.070Kg. One hundred thirty-four suspected drug users and traffickers were arrested in the third quarter, of which 128 are males and six are females.

“The total street value of drugs seized within the same period is about N80 million. One hundred and four suspects were prosecuted, out of which 27 were convicted,” he said.

Speaking about the command’s efforts to reduce drug abuse and peddling in Abuja, the NDLEA commander said, “Under the preventive strategy, we have a sustainable intensive sensitisation and public enlightenment programme using the ‘War Against Drug Abuse’ (WADA).

Mr Tsakuwa said WADA was a social advocacy campaign to get every Nigerian involved in ridding the country of illicit substances.

”We organised programmes in schools, corporate organisations, religious places of worship, etc., to ensure the involvement of all stakeholders. We collaborate with quite a number of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and other stakeholders to carry out sensitisation.

“We also provide support systems for drug-dependent individuals through counselling at our rehabilitation centre, which is manned by well-learned counselling experts. Clients are counselled for a period of three, six and 12 months, depending on the level of addiction of the individual. Under Supply reduction, we embark on the arrest of drug offenders, investigation and prosecution,” he said.

(NAN)

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October 16, 2023
A decades-long drop in teen births is slowing, and advocates worry a reversal is coming

Cicely Wilson’s work doesn’t end when she leaves her day job as a lactation consultant, doula and child care expert.

Wilson founded a nonprofit called Sunnyside Up Youth Pregnancy Services, which connects girls ages 13 to 19 with resources they need to care for their babies. After-hours, she looks for affordable Nashville apartments, books medical appointments, tries to find strollers and other baby supplies, and hosts conversations with pregnant teens about breastfeeding and preparing mentally for childbirth.

Since the overturning of Roe v. Wade just over a year ago, Wilson said, she is confident that more Tennessee teens will carry their pregnancies to term. “Because the access isn’t there,” she said. “I do anticipate that we’re going to get a lot more teens that are wanting to parent their babies rather than going to Illinois or Georgia or Florida.”

Demand for services like Wilson’s could rise in the coming years even though the national teen birth rate has declined dramatically over the past three decades. It’s still dropping, but preliminary data released in June by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows the descent may be slowing.

Doctors, service providers, and advocates say they’re worried full CDC data released later this year — which will include state-by-state numbers — could show a rise in teen births in many Southern states, where rates remain among the highest in the country. They say several factors — including the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down federal protections for abortion rights, intensifying political pushback against sex education, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on youth mental health — could start to unravel decades of progress.

“It’s absolutely concerning,” said Laura Andreson, an OB-GYN in Franklin, Tennessee. The women’s health practice where she works is treating more pregnant teenagers than in recent years, which she thinks could reflect an emerging trend.

“It’s probably going to take a little bit of time,” she said. “But I would venture to say we’re going to see it every year: It’s going to go up.”

Nationally, the rate of teen births has dropped by 78% since a modern-day peak in 1991 of 61.8 births per 100,000 people, according to the CDC. Starting in 2007, the rate had consistently dropped by about 8% until 2021, when the rate of decline slowed to about 2%.

“It certainly does stand in contrast to what we’ve seen in prior years,” said CDC researcher Brady Hamilton. He is working on the updated version of the national data released in June that will break it down by state. Hamilton said that he can’t comment on the recent social and political factors at play, but that the “phenomenal decline” in the teen birth rates over more than 15 years could be reaching a natural plateau as states achieved their goals.

“There are a lot of states that have very low birth rates,” he said. “So you kind of potentially run into a situation where they’re already low and you really can’t go lower.”

But advocates say this leveling off could be the writing on the wall, signaling the start of a rise in teen births.

“We know that young people came back from the pandemic with record levels of mental health struggles, which can be very tied to things like teen pregnancy,” said Jen Biundo, senior director of research and policy at Healthy Futures of Texas, a nonprofit that advocates for science-based education to curb teen pregnancy. A person with mental health issues may be more likely to form unhealthy relationships and engage in riskier sexual behaviors, she said.

And the decision to strike down abortion rights unleashed a sea change of legislation across the nation affecting reproductive health and options for women. States like Tennessee enacted so-called trigger laws, overturning the right to most abortions. In August, an all-male South Carolina Supreme Court upheld what abortion opponents sometimes call a “fetal heartbeat law,” which bans most abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy. The term is a misnomer because a fetus’ heart is not fully developed in the early stages of pregnancy.

The sudden shift in the reproductive health landscape concerns Hannah Lantos, a researcher who specializes in maternal and adolescent health for Child Trends, a nonprofit research center. She said changes in abortion policy likely won’t have major effects on teen birth statistics because most abortion patients aren’t teenagers. Teenagers account for only 9% of abortions and 6% of all pregnancies reported in the U.S. each year, according to a report by Child Trends. Yet about 1 in 4 teens who do get pregnant in the U.S. will opt for an abortion, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.

Previous declines in the teen birth rate weren’t driven by access to abortions alone, Lantos said. Other factors like increased access to and more effective contraceptive methods and sex education contributed. Now, those tools also are under siege in many states.

In Texas, some school boards have banned sex education curricula amid backlash from parents. In New Hampshire, Republican state officials blocked more than $600,000 in federal sex ed funding, and officials in Miami-Dade County, Florida, banned new sex ed books. In Idaho, lawmakers told the state’s health departments the state would no longer fund adolescent pregnancy prevention programs.

Parents who oppose abortion could prevent their children from getting one. Even if the parents acquiesce, incentive for a teen is low, said Wilson of Sunnyside Up. People might need to travel hundreds of miles for abortion care now. That’s particularly tricky for teenagers, who may be too young to make decisions independently.

“That car ride can be very excruciating,” Wilson said, noting that the drive from Nashville to the nearest abortion clinic — in Carbondale, Illinois — can take seven hours. “That’s seven hours of potential silence. That’s seven hours of tension. That’s seven hours of thinking about what’s next. And that is a long time to process something so difficult.”

The fear of a disapproving parent might also prevent a teenager who decides to keep the baby from revealing the pregnancy early on, Andreson said. That could lead to a lack of prenatal care, which is concerning for teens, given they are more likely to have complications than other expectant mothers.

“Their bodies aren’t designed to have babies yet,” she said. “And this doesn’t even go into all the issues that go on once the baby’s born.”

Wilson, from Sunnyside Up, noted that teenage parents face unique challenges taking care of newborns. “It’s a lot for them,” Wilson said of the teens who seek her help. “They need that hands-on, in-person support.”

And one of the greatest challenges is housing. Teenagers need a co-signer on a lease. Even when they find a place, the median rent in Nashville is over $2,000 a month, and Tennessee observes the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour. Sunnyside Up has persuaded clients to become roommates.

“It’s like we’re literally having to stack families together in the same household for them to be able to pay basic living expenses,” Wilson said.

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© 2023 KFF Health News

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC

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October 16, 2023