The ranks of America's poor are greater than previously known, reaching a new level of 49.1 million or 16 percent due to rising medical costs and other expenses that make it harder for people to stay afloat, according to new census estimates.
The wealth gap between younger and older Americans has stretched to the widest on record, worsened by a prolonged economic downturn that has wiped out job opportunities for young adults and saddled them with housing and college debt.
The ranks of the nation's poor swelled to nearly 1 in 6 people last year, reaching a new high as long-term unemployment woes left millions of Americans struggling and out of work. The number of uninsured edged up to 49.9 million, the biggest in over two decades.
Women still outlive men, but the gender gap among U.S. seniors is narrowing.
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"summary": "The ranks of America's poor are greater than previously known, reaching a new level of 49.1 million or 16 percent due to rising medical costs and other expenses that make it harder for people to stay afloat, according to new census estimates.",
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{
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"uri": "/2011/09/13/census-nations-poor-uninsured-swell-to-record-leve/",
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"summary": "The ranks of the nation's poor swelled to nearly 1 in 6 people last year, reaching a new high as long-term unemployment woes left millions of Americans struggling and out of work. The number of uninsured edged up to 49.9 million, the biggest in over two decades.",
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"summary": "The number of people lacking health insurance increased to 49.9 million, a new high after revisions were made to 2009 figures.",
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"summary": "Working-age America is the new face of poverty.",
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