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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsPoverty Among Senior Citizens is Worse than Official Numbers
http://fdlaction.firedoglake.com/2013/05/21/poverty-among-senior-citizens-is-worse-than-official-numbers/Back in 2011 the Census Bureau started releasing an alternative measure of income known as the supplemental poverty measure. It takes into account things like government in-kind benefits and necessary out-of-pocket medical costs. The Kaiser Family Foundation has done a new analysis based on this data and found poverty among seniors is significantly worse than under official estimates. From KFF:
Nationally, nearly half of all seniors (48%) live with incomes below 200 percent of the poverty threshold under the supplemental measure, compared to 34 percent under the official measure.3 The share of seniors with incomes below 200 percent of poverty is higher under the supplemental measure in every state than under the official measure.4
Under the supplemental measure, at least two-fifths of seniors (40%) have incomes below 200 percent of poverty in 48 states and in DC; using the official measure, this is the case in only six states.
At least half of seniors have incomes below 200 percent of poverty in 10 states and DC based on the supplemental measure: DC (59%); California (56%); Hawaii (55%); Georgia (54%); Louisiana, New York, Rhode Island, and Tennessee (52%); Florida and Mississippi (51%); and Arizona (50%).
Of course in light of this new data many elected officials in Washington, including President Obama, call for making the problem significantly worse by cutting Social Security benefits using the Chained-CPI.
liberal N proud
(60,298 posts)The rich will get richer and the poor will get poorer until they have nothing but the dirt beneath them to eat. And at that point the rich who will own that dirt will tell them to get off.
As I head into these dark years, I wonder what I will have. Cat food will be too expensive!
hobbit709
(41,694 posts)If I had 200% I'd be ecstatic.
Again, I need to ask where is the main street media. They are more consumed with their self importance in investing these make beleive scandals. Hello paul the useless piece of shit ryan, how many people fall into this category in this asshole district?
Spitfire of ATJ
(32,723 posts)They're out covering Wall Street.
MsLeopard
(1,265 posts)is owned by 5 or 6 rich white guys who are part of the cabal that has orchestrated this whole mess. Their interest is to not cover anything that shines light on the massive scam they've pulled on 99% of everyone. You'll never hear serious discussions of the criminal enterprise that is our economic system today.
Welcome to DU!
harmonicon
(12,008 posts)The US basically has neither.
Egalitarian Thug
(12,448 posts)the "poverty threshold" unequivocally establishes that the threshold is meaningless. Reality being much worse than virtually all government statistics is an indication of just how far down the rabbit hole we've fallen.