Transition to Poverty among the Elderly: Evidence from the Health and Retirement Study.

This study uses longitudinal data from the 1994 and 1998 Health and Retirement Survey to examine factors associated with transition to poverty among respondents aged 55 and older. This time frame is of interest because the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (Welfare Reform) became law in 1996. While Welfare Reform targeted working age adults, several provisions directly and indirectly affected public benefit receipt of older individuals. Change in respondents' participation in Food Stamps, Supplemental Security Income, and Medicaid were examined using a Chi- square test. Results of logistic regression indicate that older individuals who are less educated, female, black and other race, foreign -born, less healthy, unemployed, widowed are more likely to enter poverty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]