U.S. Catholic officials worried by rise in number of poor, uninsured

Published: 2004-08-27

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The steady rise in the number of poor people in the United States and those without health insurance challenges the nation to a nonpartisan reassessment of its priorities, said a Catholic expert in health care issues. "These are chronic ills that have plagued our society for decades -- through both Democratic and Republican administrations," said Father Michael D. Place, president and CEO of the Catholic Health Association. Father Place was commenting on the Aug. 26 release by the U.S. Census Bureau of its annual report on income, poverty and health insurance coverage. The report, for the year 2003, said the number of people below the U.S. poverty line increased by 1.3 million with more than 60 percent of the increase among children under 18 years of age. In terms of percentage, the number of poor increased by 0.4 percent to 12.5 percent of the U.S. population. The Census Bureau also reported a 1.4 million rise in the number of people lacking health insurance and said household income was stagnant, except for Hispanic households which saw their income drop by 2.6 percent.

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