poverty level - A family's annual income determined by the U.S. Census Bureau depending upon family size and ages necessary to cover the basic necessities of life including food, shelter, clothing, and health care. federal poverty guidelines - A family's annual income at or below the amount determined by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (or a percentage multiple such as 150 percent) that determines eligibility for certain federal assistance programs such as food stamps, welfare, Medicaid. >> SOCIAL JUSTICE, NATIONAL SCHOOL LUNCH PROGRAM working poor - Families whose annual income is under 200 percent of the federal poverty guidelines even though at least one person in the family is working fulltime year round. >> EXTREME POVERTY (GLOBAL)

>> More << The Census Bureau calculated the U.S. poverty rate at 13.2 percent in 2008, or 38.9 million Americans living at or below the poverty line, up from 12.5 percent in 2007. Under an alternative poverty formula used by the National Academy of Sciences, the poverty rate in 2008 was 15.8 percent, or nearly 1 in 6 Americans. "One in twelve working families lives below the official poverty line" according to The Working Poor Families Project. The poverty level is updated annually for inflation by the U.S. Census Bureau. In 2008, the poverty level for a family of four was $21,200 (higher in Alaska and Hawaii). Federal Poverty Guidelines (and percentage multiples of the guidelines such as 130 percent, 185 percent, 200 percent) are used to determine eligibility for Medicare, Food Stamps, the subsidized portion of Medicare/Prescription Drug Coverage, and the NATIONAL SCHOOL LUNCH PROGRAM. For the period July 1, 2008, through June 30, 2009, 130 percent of the poverty level is $27,560 for a family of four; 185 percent is $39,220. The guidelines also determine eligibility for programs such as Legal Aid and Head Start. Medicaid provides health care to 59 million people (including 28 million children), but an additional 47 million Americans have no health coverage and do not quality for Medicaid, mostly because they earn too much. To provide health care for children whose families earn too much to qualify for Medicaid, Congress enacted the State Children's Health Insurance Program (S-CHIP). Each state sets the income eligibility level for S-CHIP, up to 200% of the federal poverty level.

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