Health

Health care and insurance costs frequently top the national policy agenda. The cost of health care remains insurmountably high for many people, but the link between poverty and health goes far beyond the cost of insurance. Poverty is both a cause and consequence of health issues. Education, poverty and neighborhood factors have a major impact on health outcomes. Factors like access to healthy food, health care, clean air and safe housing contribute to the connection between health and wealth gaps. Studies have also found that poverty is correlated with higher rates of mental illness and that the stress poverty causes cannot be ignored. The toll that poverty takes on mental and physical health is apparent in the discrepancies in life expectancy based on income level. This section of the Spotlight website gathers the latest research, news and opinion on health and poverty.