U.S. Census data released recently showed families and individuals in the 8th Congressional District, which covers most of southeast and south-central Missouri, lagged far behind the rest of the state in income and health insurance status.
“These new figures on health insurance and income levels for residents of Missouri’s 8th Congressional District are alarming,” said Ruth Ehresman, director of health and budget policy for the Missouri Budget Project. “Families across the state are struggling as a result of job loss, reduced work hours and the growing cost of healthcare. However, the picture is especially grim for those in this region of Missouri.”
Data from the U.S. Census’ American Community Survey was recently released. This is single-year data, rather than the aggregated data released as part of the Current Population Survey. The data focused on two main areas important to quality of life for Americans: median income and access to health insurance.
Median Income
The Missouri median income was $46,867 in 2008, which is $6,424 lower than it was at the bottom of the 2001 recession when adjusted for inflation. At the same time, the cost of everything from food and fuel to health care and higher education has gone up for area families.
In the 8th Congressional District, the median income was $32,614, the lowest in Missouri. Since job loss accelerated in 2009 as the recession deepened, the median income is likely to be even lower next year.
Health Insurance
The data show that approximately one in every six Missourians between the ages of 18 and 64 do not have health insurance. In Congressional District 8, slightly more than one in every four residents are now without health insurance.
Residents here are also less likely to have private insurance than other Missourians. Only 60 percent of residents ages 18 to 64 had private health insurance in 2008, compared to 73.8 percent statewide.
Fewer children were uninsured (6.4 percent) than statewide (7.1 percent). However, the data show that only about one of every two children have private health insurance, indicating that many in southeast and south-central Missouri are eligible for, and enrolled in, MO HealthNet for Kids, the state’s public health insurance program for children.
“These data remind us of how critical the additional support from food stamps, unemployment insurance and Medicaid in the federal economic recovery package has been for many Missouri families every day,” said Ehresman. “It also reminds us that in these tough times, this support, as well as the availability of affordable healthcare choices, will be vital to help them make ends meet for some time to come.”
Despite signs of economic recovery, job loss has yet to bottom out, and states across the nation face budget shortfalls into fiscal years 2011 and 2012. Missouri’s policymakers will continue to face tough decisions about how to balance the state’s budget as mid-year gaps emerge and federal recovery dollars run out.
“Our elected officials should take a close look at this data and keep it in mind when they are faced with difficult decisions about whether or not to make cuts to programs that are critical to the well-being of struggling families,” Ehresman continued. “Instead, they should look to balanced approaches of finding revenue generating measures to help fill our state’s ongoing budget shortfalls.”