More than 1 in 5 kids live in poverty, By Liz Szabo, June 8, 2010, USA Today: “The rate of children living in poverty this year will climb to nearly 22%, the highest rate in two decades, according to an analysis by the non-profit Foundation for Child Development. Nearly 17% of children were living in poverty in 2006, before the recession began. The foundation’s Child and Youth Well-Being Index tracks 28 key statistics about children, such as health insurance coverage, parents’ employment, infant mortality and preschool enrollment. The report projects that the percentage of children living in families with an ‘insecure’ source of food has risen from about 17% in 2007 to nearly 18% in 2010, an increase of 750,000 children. Up to 500,000 children may be homeless this year, living either in shelters or places not meant for habitation…”
Day: June 8, 2010
Health Reform and Children’s Health Insurance Coverage
Sick children get guarantee of health coverage, By Bruce Japsen, June 7, 2010, Chicago Tribune: “Seven-year-old Alex Rowe, who has a rare bleeding disorder, soon will have private health insurance again. He is among more than 5 million Americans under the age of 19 with a pre-existing medical condition who cannot be denied coverage by insurance companies beginning as early as September under a key provision of the health care reform law. Covering consumers with pre-existing health problems has long been a point of contention and figured prominently in the national health reform debate. The provision in the law also means more doctor choices for consumers who have been forced to pick up government coverage like Medicaid health insurance for the poor, which typically pays medical providers less money…”
Kids Count Report – New Jersey
- Atlantic and Cumberland counties rank last in Kids Count ‘well-being’ survey, By Juliet Fletcher, June 7, 2010, Press of Atlantic City: “Children growing up in Atlantic County face greater challenges to their health and welfare than in any other county statewide, a new analysis says. The Association for Children of New Jersey, or ACNJ, which publishes an annual Kids Count study evaluating 16 factors that affect children’s well-being, ranks counties every three years to reflect children’s relative advantages and disadvantages in health, safety, education and economic circumstances. This year, Atlantic County dropped to last place in the ranking, as the study’s authors warned that the worst effects of the economic recession were not yet reflected in its data and predicted a further slide in the next report. Cumberland County placed next to last…”
- Study finds economy directly influences N.J. children’s well-being, By Meredith Galante, June 7, 2010, Star-Ledger: “A study released today on New Jersey children’s well-being illustrates how the economy is compromising New Jersey families’ abilities to provide and care for their children. The 2010 Kids Count report, released by the Association for Children of New Jersey, saw the most drastic changes in the 16 indicators it monitors in unemployment rates, children living below the poverty line and housing costs…”