Report The Impact of Health Insurance on Poverty in California By Caroline Danielson, Patricia Malagon, Shannon McConville Mar 27, 2023 The Affordable Care Act has helped millions of Californians gain health insurance over the past decade. In addition to improving access to care, the ACA has increased financial well-being. This analysis focuses on the significant contribution of publicly funded health coverage—particularly Medi-Cal—to family resources across the state.
Fact Sheet Income Inequality in California By Tess Thorman, Daniel Payares-Montoya Apr 17, 2024 California’s income gap narrowed in 2022, but the disparity between high and low incomes is wider in California than in most other states. Over the longer term, income inequality has been driven by earnings growth among college-educated workers.
Report California’s Safety Net in Recession and Recovery By Caroline Danielson Jun 3, 2021 As California emerges from the COVID-19 shutdown, the social safety net can play a key role in facilitating an equitable recovery. Evidence from the last recession and recovery shows that safety net programs do grow in response to increased need. But the state can take additional steps to deliver benefits more effectively and equitably.
blog post Most Californians Say Racial Bias Is Linked to Economic Inequality By Lauren Mora Nov 30, 2023 A strong majority of Californians say that racial and ethnic discrimination contributes to economic inequality, and those holding this view are more likely to support policies that help lower-income families.
Report Child Poverty and the Social Safety Net in California By Caroline Danielson, Sarah Bohn Sep 29, 2014 Because economic hardship is associated with a host of adverse outcomes, particularly for children, policies that can give children a better start in life are especially important. This report focuses on measuring material hardship among children across the state. Using the California Poverty Measure—which accounts for both family earnings and safety net resources and adjusts for work expenses and housing costs—we find that one-quarter of California’s children are in poverty. An additional 26 percent of children live in households that are "near poor,” or somewhat above what is often referred to as the poverty line. In short, about half of California’s children are poor or near-poor. Poverty rates, earnings, and the role of safety net resources all vary by region. But most poor children live in "working poor” families, with one or more working adults. And, without resources from the social safety net—which includes the federal Earned Income Tax Credit, CalFresh (California’s food stamp program), CalWORKs (California’s welfare program), and housing subsidies—there would be far more children in poverty throughout California.
blog post Steep Declines in Child Poverty Have Been Driven by Safety Net Programs By Caroline Danielson Oct 26, 2022 During the first two years of the pandemic, government interventions not only avoided an increase in poverty overall but also dramatically reduced poverty among children, according to the California Poverty Measure.
