Census Report: Ill. Poverty Down, Number of Uninsured Up

Poverty dropped in Illinois last year, but the number of residents without health insurance increased, U.S. Census data released this week shows.

About 1.39 million, or 11 percent, of state residents last year were poor, down from 1.49 million, or 11.9 percent the year before.

Median income increased slightly and unemployment fell, but in 2006, 1.75 million Illinoisans were without health insurance, a 4 percent increase from the previous year.

“We’re living in a day and age when employer-sponsored health insurance is by no means a guarantee for any of us,” said Amy Rynell, director of the Chicago-based human-rights group Heartland Alliance. “It impacts very low-income people, but it also impacts middle-income people.”

Gov. Rod Blagojevich last spring proposed a multibillion-dollar universal health insurance program that the Legislature scuttled. But he cut $463 million last week from the state budget lawmakers sent him and pledged to expand health care coverage anyway.

“It’s not going away, the problem’s going to get worse,” said Jim Duffett, executive director of the Illinois Campaign for Better Health Care. “For those of us who are fortunate enough to have health insurance, we’re going to pay more and more.”

Heartland recommends lowering taxes for the state’s impoverished by expanding the earned income tax credit and being more judicious about offering incentives to businesses locating in Illinois that pay low wages or don’t offer health insurance.

Besides the poverty rate decline, median income in Illinois rose slightly, to $52,619 from $51,908 after inflation, and unemployment dropped to 4.5 percent from 5.7 percent.

Topics Illinois