Poverty In The United States: A Continuing And Growing Problem

Abstract

In recent years, the ability to deal with the problem of poverty in the US, in light of the new “Federalism,” is an area of interest to scholars. The poverty rate over the past 50 years has fluctuated from a high of 22.4% in 1959 to a low of 11.1% in 1973. Under George Bush’s presidency, we again see an increase in the poverty rate to 12.7% in 2004. This paper provides an overview of poverty data for the 21^st century, by region, race and age. A discussion and comparison of median household income follows. Facts and figures are then provided/compared, tying in health care issues to income levels and citizenship/ethnicity. A brief introduction of the various attempts over the past years by the federal government to reduce the proportion of the American population that falls below the poverty line follows. This section merely provides a listing of programs designed to satisfy social and equity considerations. This paper does not provide the reader with the impact of these programs on the economy; a brief mention is provided to generate further thought and discussion. The paper concludes with a summary of key elements of the above issues. The sole purpose is to provide an overview of historical data as concerns poverty, median household income and health insurance coverage. The ability to deal with the problem of poverty in the U S, is left for another paper.