MUJW Health
Stress of poverty linked to psychological changes
Story written by Madeline Jarrard.
COLUMBIA — The stress of poverty — worrying about housing, wondering about the likelihood of a next meal, tabulating a meager income against mounting expenses — isn’t hard to imagine. Over time, though, that anxiety can cause subtle changes in the brain.
Poverty is linked to a reduced attention span and limited ability to multi-task, which add to the numerous obstacles faced by those who struggle financially, according to a 2013 study published in in the academic journal Science. Poverty, the researchers wrote, “captures attention, triggers intrusive thoughts, and reduces cognitive resources.”
The study indicated that the implications of poverty are more substantial than a lack of money − they relate to the functionality of one’s brain. The researchers found a correlation between the stress of poverty and poor decision-making. Cognitive capacity is the amount of information one can retain, and those living in poverty suffer from a “tunneling effect.”
Teri Roberts is the Asset Development coordinator for Central Missouri Community Action. At the center, she teaches a variety of finance education classes, including budgeting.
“Our clients are low income, so they struggle to meet basic needs,” Roberts said.
Roberts teaches students to manage the money they have and to live on a budget. There are many people who don’t know basic financial information, she explained.
But Roberts does more than teach finances. She explained that the general mindset of people who enter the class is they “can’t even pay the bills, much less save money.”
But this mindset is tangible for all people.
According to the study, financial concerns have a cognitive impact comparable with losing a full night of sleep. Researchers cited that the effect of poverty is similar to a drop in cognitive ability by 13 IQ points.
The goal is to avoid the “poor decision making” that poverty threatens.
Roberts finds simple ways to encourage better spending habits. “We all have money we fritter away,” she said. She calls it “fritter finder,” where people find things in their lives that are not necessities. She gives the examples of lottery tickets and other expenses that add up.
The change that Roberts makes is tangible. There were pre and post assessments taken of individuals who took the budgeting class. Of the 20 to 25 people analyzed, the difference before and after the class was substantial. Roberts cited an 89 percent increase in knowledge demonstrated by the tests.
Mary Taylor, 36, participated in the budgeting class when she was unemployed and low on money.
“I wasn’t doing near as good as I thought I was,” Taylor said.
Taylor, who had Roberts as a teacher, explained how helpful it was having a budget plan.
“I definitely felt more confident,” she said.
Now, Taylor works for Central Missouri Community Action at the office in Boone County.
Angela Hirsch, the Community Services Director, explained more about the goals of the classes.
The budgeting classes at Central Missouri Community Action help teach people to best utilize the money they do have. Instructors help their students create a path to their goals: buy a house, go to college, or simply live within their means.
But for some, the goals come in small steps.
The penny roundup is another way the instructors teach how to save money. Individuals are taught to save the coin change from all of their purchases. For example from a $9.50 purchase one could pay with $10 and save the 50 cents.
“That starts to add up,” Hirsch said.
Local organization reduces burden of health care
Story written by Breyanah Graham.
COLUMBIA — Because of the financial burden caused by the expensive cost of her health care, retired teacher Samantha Jones has lost faith in the health care system.
“I pay $500 a month out of pocket for my health care that is not covered by my insurance,” Jones said. “It’s not affordable. You have other things, and if you are paying four, five hundred a month it’s so hard, especially for people that don’t have a lot.”
Jones is one of the many people in the U.S. who don’t have the health care coverage. Her insurance has coverage gaps, leaving her with high medical bills.
“You either have insurance or you don’t,” Jones said. “We have so many people that need medical help. They have insurances that they can’t afford, bills from doctors. It’s a problem everywhere.”
With the passing of the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, more low-income Americans are able to get affordable and quality health insurance. “The percentage of working-age adults who are uninsured has dropped from 18 percent to 13.4 percent,” according to the latest edition of The Commonwealth Fund’s Affordable Care Act Tracking Survey recorded in May. These numbers reflect that the Affordable Care Act coverage is helping many people that could not have previously afforded health care.
However, while the Affordable Care Act has made insurance affordable for many people, its benefits have not been accessible for everyone. Under law, states are allowed to decide whether to expand Medicaid to people who are not eligible for its coverage. For people such as Jones who do not qualify for Medicaid or government aid, this means that the majority of the cost of their health care has to come out of pocket, which can cause a serious financial burden.
Cale Mitchell, the executive director for Rain-Central Missouri, has seen the burden firsthand. Rain is a nonprofit aid service organization that works with low-income individuals with HIV, Hepatitis, and sexually transmitted diseases.
“Income inequality and health care inequality go hand in hand,” Mitchell said. “When they come to us, they have other needs that need to be met besides health care, like housing and education. It’s like the chicken and the egg for them. Which one comes first?”
For low-income individuals who are living with HIV/AIDs, not being able to qualify for government funding is even more troubling. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that the estimated lifetime cost of treating HIV is $379,668. With the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour, a full-time minimum wage employee making the federal wage only earns $15,080 annually, not even half the cost of treating HIV annually.
Fortunately for individuals who have limited access to health care, there are places like Rain that specialize in helping people at risk for, or infected with, STDs and other potentially life-threatening diseases.
With the help of funding from Ryan White Health Care, Rain has spent the last 25 years helping people with HIV/AIDS get affordable health care.
“Many more people that have HIV/AIDs are able to be insured now, but there are many people who fall through the cracks,” said Mitchell. “For those that are HIV positive, by utilizing federal dollars, we sent them to doctors and help them get proper treatment.“
For people with HIV/AIDs and other potentially-life threatening diseases, not being able to get proper health care can be detrimental to their health.
“It doesn’t help that there is so much stigma attached with the disease,” Mitchell said. “Ninety-five percent of people with HIV come to Columbia to receive health care because they are afraid that someone will find out that they are HIV-positive.”
As a result, Rain is lowering the number of uninsured HIV/AIDs individuals in the Mid-Missouri area. Rain reports that they serve just over 400 individuals in a typical year.
“Income is a barrier to a lot of things,” Mitchell said. “The amount of effort is certainly more, but it’s not impossible to help them.”