Olga Pierce

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Olga Pierce is a recent graduate of the Stabile Investigative Journalism Seminar at Columbia University, where she won a Horton Prize for health reporting. Before Columbia, she covered health policy for United Press International in Washington where, in addition to writing stories about Medicare Part D, uninsured Americans and AIDS vaccine, she appeared as a commentator on C-SPAN and went to Camp David as a White House pool reporter. Her stories have appeared in the Chicago Tribune, New York Times, Hindustan Times, Lincoln Journal-Star and other newspapers. Olga is fluent in Czech and has a bachelor’s in international economics from Georgetown University.

Articles (page 3 of 7)

Explaining Obama’s Proposed ‘Budget Freeze’

Feb. 2, 2010, 12:44 p.m.

The spending freeze announced by President Obama will affect only about one-eighth of the federal budget, meaning the other federal programs could continue to add to the deficit. So Obama’s 2011 budget would increase overall spending by 5 percent overall.

Unemployment Insurance Funds in Colorado and New Hampshire Go Bankrupt—And Start Borrowing

Jan. 27, 2010, 9:40 a.m.

Do You Have Experience Dealing With Your State’s Unemployment Insurance System?

Jan. 21, 2010, 5:13 p.m.

Unemployment Insurance Tracker

Jan. 20, 2010, 2:33 p.m.

Tracking how long state unemployment insurance trust funds will hold up.

Two Dozen States’ Unemployment Funds in the Red, Nine More Within Six Months

Jan. 20, 2010, 1:42 a.m.

The record 20 million Americans who collected unemployment insurance benefits last year landed on a safety net that was already deeply frayed. Now 25 states have borrowed more than $25 billion to keep benefits flowing after their trust funds ran dry, and the situation is deteriorating fast elsewhere.

Payroll Taxes Increase for Many Employers Across the U.S.

Jan. 20, 2010, 1:33 a.m.

With the recession emptying unemployment insurance trust funds, many states are raising taxes on business owners, from a few dollars to nearly $1,000 per worker. And some states have started reducing or freezing the benefits that are paid out to the unemployed.

How We Did the Math on Our Unemployment Insurance Tracker

Jan. 19, 2010, 11:59 p.m.

Are You a Virginia Senior Who Gets Both Social Security and Unemployment Insurance?

Jan. 5, 2010, 11:37 a.m.

What Health Care Reform Means for: ‘Young Invincibles’

Dec. 22, 2009, 7 a.m.

Young people often forgo insurance coverage. Reform bills would no longer allow that, but what insurance they could get and how differ in each proposal.

What Health Care Reform Means for: Medicaid Recipients

Dec. 7, 2009, 11:36 a.m.

States have wide leeway in determining who is eligible for Medicaid and how well they are covered. The health reform bills in Congress would eliminate many of the disparities from state to state, making access easier for many people.

What Health Care Reform Means for: Those Already Insured

Dec. 1, 2009, 10 a.m.

What Health Care Reform Means for: The Underinsured

Nov. 24, 2009, 10:12 a.m.

Americans without group health insurance often face high out-of-pocket costs on the plans they buy on their own. A look at how the health reform bills in Congress would bring down those costs for one couple in Texas.

What Health Care Reform Means for: Medicare Programs

Nov. 17, 2009, 11:21 a.m.

In one of the most contentious issues in the health care debate, those enrolled in Medicare Advantage may see higher premiums and fewer plans to choose from if government subsidies are reduced to help pay for reform.