The Census Bureau just informed us that in 2010, we had 46.2
million people living in poverty—the highest number since 1959,
when the census began keeping track of economic status. The
figure is up .8 percent (14.3 percent to 15.1 percent) from
2009, and represents almost one-sixth of Americans The new
statistics have especially disturbing implications for young
people. Last spring, says the census report, 5.9 million people
from 25 to 34 years of age were living with their parents. They
"had an official poverty rate of 8.4 percent," says the report,
"but if their poverty status were determined using their own
income, 45.3 percent had an income below the poverty threshold
for a single person under age 65." Poverty these days is defined
as $22, 314 for a family of four, $11,344 for an individual
under age 65. The issue of poverty is related to the issue of
health insurance in two ways: first, because those who are poor
are less likely to have health insurance, and second, because
those who don't have health in