Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
CDC: Lack Of Health Insurance Is A Factor In Rising Suicide Rates
USA Today: CDC: Suicides Tied To Lack Of Health Insurance, Income, Internet
People with health insurance, higher income and internet access may be less likely to die by suicide, a new study found. Counties with lower levels of health insurance coverage, broadband internet access and household income had higher suicide rates, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report published Tuesday. (Cuevas, 9/10)
Reuters: US Incomes Rose Last Year But Poverty Rates Changed Little, Census Data Shows
U.S. inflation-adjusted household income increased but poverty rates showed only modest changes last year, the U.S. Census Bureau reported on Tuesday, offering a mixed snapshot of how American households fared as the economy returned to pre-coronavirus pandemic growth levels, job growth boomed and inflation eased. Real median household income rose to $80,610 in 2023, up 4.0% from 2022, back to the peak reached in 2019, while earnings for workers as a whole were higher than before the pandemic, a boost to households after multiple years in which workers' wages were outpaced by high inflation. (9/10)
The Wall Street Journal: Social Security COLA Expected To Be 2.6% Next Year
Social Security recipients are on track for a smaller cost-of-living adjustment next year. The cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, that retirees receive each year is tied to the average inflation data for July, August and September, so the actual increase won’t be clear until October. There was a 2.9% increase in July, and economists expect the August figure to have risen at an annual rate of 2.6%. The Labor Department reports inflation Wednesday morning. (Tergesen, 9/11)
KFF Health News: US Uninsured Rate Was Stable In 2023, Even As States’ Medicaid Purge Began
The proportion of Americans without health insurance remained stable in 2023, the Census Bureau reported Tuesday, close to the record low the Biden administration achieved in 2022 through expansions of public programs, including the Affordable Care Act. About 8% of Americans were uninsured, a statistically insignificant increase of just 0.1 percentage point from a year earlier. (Galewitz, 9/10)
