The Numbers Don’t Lie-37 Million Still Living in Poverty
By John Bouman, President
On Tuesday, Aug. 26 the U.S. Census Bureau released data about income levels, poverty rates, and health insurance from 2007. At first glance, the data look like good news. The nation’s poverty rate held steady at 12.5 percent, not statistically different from the 12.3 percent in 2006. Median household income increased. The number of people without health insurance decreased. However, digging deeper into the data shows we have work to do.
Part of that work is keeping our state children’s health insurance programs strong and successful. Across the United States, the number of uninsured children went down in 2007 as a result of the expansion of these publicly supported programs. In Illinois we can be grateful for All Kids, which ensures that all children have access to comprehensive, quality affordable health care. Because of this program, we have been able to cut down on time and money spent in the emergency room and link our children to regular primary care doctors. We need to safeguard and protect All Kids by enrolling more children in this cost-effective program.
Although the poverty rate didn’t dramatically change in 2007, let’s not discount the fact that 37.3 million people lived in poverty. That number has steadily increased since 2000, the year before the last downturn. We’ve gone through a full economic cycle with higher poverty and with middle-income workers losing ground. The poverty level didn’t get any worse, but it certainly didn’t get any better.
Most important, we need to keep the census data within the context of 2008, a year with even more people out of work and squeezed by the high cost of food and fuel. The 2007 data will probably be as good as they get for a while. At this time we need thoughtful strategies by the government to address the poverty problem. Congress should act quickly in September to boost the economy by allowing more poor families to get the Child Tax Credit and by increasing aid for food, unemployment, and state Medicaid programs. Basic steps such as these should form the beginning of a national commitment to cut poverty.
Visit http://www.census.gov for more information.
Tags: census, Child Tax Credit, low-income, poverty
September 2nd, 2008 at 11:53 pm
Across the United States, the number of uninsured children went down in 2007 as a result of the expansion of these publicly supported programs. In Illinois we can be grateful for All Kids, which ensures that all children have access to comprehensive, quality affordable health care. Because of this program, we have been able to cut down on time and money spent in the emergency room and link our children to regular primary care doctors. We need to safeguard and protect All Kids by enrolling more children in this cost-effective program.
September 6th, 2008 at 2:53 am
State Children’s Health Insurance Program to 300 percent of the poverty level. Currently, the program covers children of families earning between 100 and 200 percent of the federal poverty level, or between $21,200 and $42,400.