| St. Louis, MO - Single year data from the U.S. Census' American Community Survey released on September 22, 2009 showed families and individuals in the 7th Congressional District, which covers the southwest corner of Missouri, lagged behind most of the state in health insurance status. More children were uninsured than in any other part of the state. Median income was also lower than in most other areas of the state. Both of these are considered important indications of the quality of life for Americans.
"These new figures on health insurance and income levels for residents of Missouri's 7th Congressional District are alarming," said Ruth Ehresman, director of Health and Budget Policy for the Missouri Budget Project. "Families across the state are struggling as a result of job loss, reduced work hours, and the growing cost of health care. However, the picture is especially grim for those in this region of Missouri."
Median income founders
The Missouri median income was $46,867 in 2008, which is lower than it was at the bottom of the 2001 recession when adjusted for inflation. At the same time, the cost of everything from food and fuel to health care and higher education has gone up for area families.
In the 7th Congressional District, covering the southwest corner of the state, the median income was $42,363. Since job loss accelerated in 2009 as the recession deepened, the median income is seen likely to be even lower next year.
Health insurance is not a priority
The data shows that approximately one in every six Missourians between the ages of 18 and 64 did not have health insurance. In Congressional District 7, almost one in every four residents (22.8 percent) were without health Insurance in 2008.
Congressional District 7 residents also were less likely to have private insurance than other Missourians. Only 69 percent of residents ages 18 to 64 had private health insurance in 2008, compared to 73.8 percent statewide.
More children were uninsured (11.3 percent) in Congressional District 7 than statewide (7.1 percent). The uninsured rate for children was the highest among the nine Congressional Districts in Missouri. The data shows that only 58.2 percent of children had private health insurance, compared to 66.7 percent statewide in 2008.
"Our elected officials should take a close look at this data and keep it in mind when they are faced with difficult decisions about whether to make cuts to programs that are critical to the well-being of struggling families," Ehresman continued. "Instead, they should look to balanced approaches of finding revenue generating measures to help fill our state's ongoing budget shortfalls." Go Back | 
