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Overlooked and Undercounted: Struggling to Make Ends Meet in Pennsylvania

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Census data tells us that 13% of Pennsylvania households live in poverty. In reality, even more households don’t have the income they need to reach self-sufficiency. One in four Pennsylvania households – over 846,000 – lack enough income to cover just the necessities. Since 1997, PathWays PA has worked with Dr. Diana Pearce and the University of Washington to calculate  The Self-Sufficiency Standard for Pennsylvania . Over the last 23 years,  The Self-Sufficiency Standard of Pennsylvania  has documented the continuing increase in the real cost of living, illuminating the economic crunch experienced by so many families today. Since 2010, PathWays PA and the University of Washington have also issued three versions of the  Overlooked and Undercounted  report, which looks at the number of households living above and below self-sufficiency. You can now use the interactive materials below to find out what it takes to be self-sufficient in your county. Click ...
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Is It A Happy Older Americans Month?

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I wanted to wish everyone a Happy Older Americans month, but it may not be so happy for some. Anyone planning for retirement – especially those relying on infamous investors – feels less secure than they did a year ago. On May 6, 2008, PathWays PA , along with Wider Opportunities for Women , CARIE , and the United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania , released the first edition of The Elder Economic Security Initiative for Pennsylvania . In it, we showed that in Pennsylvania, one out of four elders relies upon Social Security as his or her sole source of income, even though Social Security comes nowhere close to covering the needs of elders . Our Policy Brief goes into more detail, but the needs of Pennsylvanians boil down to saving for retirement when possible and knowing about the programs available to retired Pennsylvanians. Low-income housing takes care of the biggest need in retirement, but food stamps , prescription assistance , and medical assistance help a lot too. For those of yo...
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Are You "High-Risk"? Uninsured? There's a Pool for That.

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The New York Times is reporting today that , two or three months after most states have opened their high-risk insurance pools as part of health care reform, far fewer people than expected have been enrolling.  According to the Department for Health and Human Services, only 8,011 people have enrolled nationwide, an astoundingly low figure.  As of November 1, most states had enrollment under 10% of capacity. Today's article suggests that getting the word out about the program is a large part of low-enrollment.  While marketing through radio and TV has not proven effective for other specialized insurance programs, educating hospitals, doctors, and insurance agents has been helpful. In Pennsylvania, the new pool for uninsured individuals with preexisting conditions is called " PA Fair Care ."  Eligible individuals pay a monthly premium of $283 and do not risk losing their place on the adultBasic waiting list if they apply.  The program provides insurance and p...
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