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The pitfalls of using tax returns for social work

June 08, 2009

Iowa's 2008 returns asked taxpayers whether they had uninsured dependent children. The results are a mess, reports the Des Moines Register:

A preliminary analysis by the Iowa Department of Revenue shows that about twice as many families as expected reported that they had uninsured dependent children in their households. However, experts caution that they are not yet sure if everyone understood the question, or how many of those dependents are younger than 18 and poor enough to qualify for public programs.

The uncertainty doesn't deter State Senator Jack Hatch (D, Rehabcreditville) from calling the question a success:

Hatch, a Des Moines Democrat who has led efforts to expand health care coverage, said he was surprised but not upset by the new numbers. "What's encouraging to me is that the use of tax forms is giving us real, legitimate, accurate data," he said.

It's data, all right, but the "accurate" part is doubtful. Even so, the question will be mandatory on 2009 returns.

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