This is part of a series of blogs spotlighting the ALICE population and how our community can make a difference.
Want to know how healthy you’ll be in your lifetime? Check your bank account.
Studies consistently show that income is tied to people’s risk of poor health. According to the government website healthypeople.gov, “Residents of impoverished neighborhoods or communities are at increased risk for mental illness, chronic disease, higher mortality and lower life expectancy.”
In 2019, the U.S. poverty rate was 10.5%—meaning more than 1 in 10 Americans fell below the Federal Poverty Level last year. And the poverty rate is likely much higher now due to the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. That means the U.S. faces a tremendous public health concern.
Children raised in poverty have worse health outcomes as adults compared to kids from financially stable families—even if they escape poverty in adulthood. The stress of struggling to make ends meet often leads to serious mental health problems. Even access to health care is an issue; while about 20 million more Americans are insured today than a decade ago due to the Affordable Care Act, nearly 28 million still aren’t able to get affordable coverage.
The latest Michigan ALICE Report had this to say about income and health: “As health care costs rise, there will be increasing disparities in health according to income and other social determinants of health, such as access to health care, educational opportunities and safe neighborhoods. Expensive medical advances that are out of reach for lower income households will only further this divide.”
When segments of our community aren’t able to be as healthy as others, the impact is shared by everyone. Care becomes more costly and harder to access, especially for lower-income families. That in turn raises costs and limits access even more, creating a spiral that only gets worse.
Removing barriers to good health not only benefits ALICE, it benefits our whole community.
You can support our programs that bring hope to ALICE families.