Study Finds Federal Poverty Level Undercounts in Calif.

Many California residents are ineligible for potential safety-net programs because the current federal poverty level, at $15,130 for a couple, is too low, according to a new study by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. The study's authors said the FPL should be nearly three times higher in some parts of the state, noting that 40% of adults older than age 65 and 25% of non-seniors are undercounted as being poor.

• "FPL Leads to Poverty Undercounting" (Payers & Providers, 5/17).