Poverty, Health Insurance Stats Draw Fire

[Nambe]

By GENARO C. ARMAS, Associated Press Writer

Some Democrats claim the Bush administration, in the midst of a fierce re-election battle, is trying to play down expected bad news from Census Bureau reports on poverty and health insurance by releasing them about a month earlier than usual.

The annual reports show how many people are in poverty, the median household income and how many are without health insurance. They normally are released separately in late September — one report on poverty and income, the other on insurance.

But this year they are being released together on Thursday, much further away from Election Day. Census Director Louis Kincannon — a Bush political appointee — is participating in the news conference, along with Census Bureau statisticians. ..

William O'Hare, a researcher with the Annie E. Casey Foundation, a private children's advocacy group, expected increases in the number of kids in poverty and without health insurance. He called the changes in the way data is being released "bothersome."

"It makes me wonder whether this statistical agency is being politicized in some way," said O'Hare, who has studied the poverty and health insurance data for over two decades.
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[lovuian]

1. This country's healthcare system is in crisis

and nobody is doing anything about it :argh:

[happynewyear]

2. yeah tell me about it

Next year it will cost more to have certain RX's filled via the insurance than it will to have them filled at Costco for cripes sake!

Someone (gee I wonder who?) is making a hell of a lot of money!!!!

:dem:

[Judi Lynn]

3. Really hope their plan to release this report one month early

won't keep people from remembering it when they vote in November.

From the article:Since job growth was slow until the second half of 2003 and wages were relatively stagnant, the report will probably show an increase in the number of people in poverty, said Sheldon Danzinger, co-director of the National Poverty Center at the University of Michigan.

Many experts predict the same trend with uninsured Americans, though there are differing opinions on whether median incomes will grow slightly or stay flat.

Data between 2000 and 2002 showed the numbers of Americans in poverty and without health insurance rising. Income declined between 2001 and 2002.

They shouldn't be able to simply outmaneuver the public and the public's interests, right? They think they should TRICK us?

When I voted, there were 3 votes on this new article, and the score was 5.00. I figure that means Nambe and the first two DU'er readers! WooHOOOOO!

[girl gone mad]

4. Well, that's okay..

since the administration is usually forced to revise all of their statistics a month later when the number crunchers figure out they've "overlooked" certain significant data.