According to the U.S. Census latest update, the official poverty rate in 2008 was 13.2%-40 million Americans. Health care continues to be a major factor in the lives of the poor, with an estimated 45 million uninsured. Other aspects of poverty affect families in a myriad of sociological and developmental ways. The antecedents and the answers can be elusive. In this issue of NCFR Report, your colleagues share some research and commentary on this population.