Skip to main content

Health and Well-Being of the Hidden Poor: How the Federal Poverty Level Overlooks Economically Insecure Older Californians

​How can California policymakers accurately assess economic need, especially for vulnerable seniors? In this seminar, Associate Center Director Steven P. Wallace shares the latest findings from the Elder Economic Security Standard™ Index (Elder Index), a cutting-edge poverty measure that takes into account the true cost of living in all 58 California counties. Wallace uses the Elder Index to examine the health status of economically insecure older Californians, especially for the so-called "hidden poor"― the estimated 750,000 California seniors who live in the income gap above the federal poverty level (FPL) and below what it actually takes to have a decent standard of living.

Speakers

Steven P. Wallace

Steven P. Wallace

Upcoming Events

Wednesday, June 17, 2026

Webinar // 12:00 PM — 1:00 PM

Pathways to a Unified Health Care Financing System in California

Join us on Wednesday, June 17, as researchers discuss findings from a comprehensive report — developed by the UCLA CHPR in collaboration with UC Irvine and the RAND Corporation — that examines important considerations for creating a unified health care financing system in California.

Read more