Elders of color in California are likelier than other populations to be among the "hidden poor," even if they aren't near or below the federal poverty line.

According to a new report, single Latino elders and elders caring for adult children experience higher levels of economic insecurity.  

The UCLA Center for Health Policy Research published a report, which says despite ineligibility for government assistance, nearly one in five adults over age 65 in California, about 772,000 elders, experience financial hardships and they're unable to afford basic needs.

The study, which focuses on what's called "the hidden poor," describe those who live in the gap between the federal poverty level and the Elder Index's poverty measure. The Elder Index is considered a more accurate evaluation of a decent standard of living, which accounts for geographical differences in costs for housing, medical care, food and transportation.

While the national federal poverty level estimates that a single elderly adult should be able to live on $10,890 a year, the Elder Index estimates that elderly individuals require $23,364 annually in California. According to the Elder Index, older couples whose adult children live with them are six times more likely to qualify as being among the hidden poor. The report also found that higher shares of hidden poor households can be found among African American (37.4 percent) followed by Latino households (36.8 percent).

"Many of our older adults are forced to choose between eating, taking their medications or paying rent," said Imelda Padilla-Frausto, a UCLA graduate student researcher at the center and lead author of the study, in a statement.

Grandparents raising grandchildren, older adults who rent, Latinos, women and the oldest age group (75 and older) are disproportionately reluctant members of the hidden poor. Across the state of California, between 30 and 40 percent of older couples are among the hidden poor, collecting an annual income that's as little as $10,890 or as much as $23,364. Health care and rent are two items that absorb a great deal of the elderly population's income.

"Older adults raising grandchildren or housing adult children have taken on more financial burdens with limited earning capacity, and are living right on the edge of a cliff," said Steven P. Wallace, associate director of the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research and co-author of the report. "They have few options, and one unexpected expense can put them right over."

More than whites, single elders of color who are heads of households are more financially insecure, with single Latino households experiencing the higher levels of economic insecurity (69 percent). The total rate of economic insecurity for all groups of elders of color was greater than 60 percent.

The study researchers suggested raising income eligibility limits for housing assistance, using former redevelopment funds for construction of affordable housing assistance and helping elders with the cost of health care by increasing income eligibility to 200 percent of the federal poverty level, from 100 percent. Also, there should be an expansion and update of food benefits. Without a doubt, income levels are major predictors of health outcomes, ensuring economic security for this population is a health equity issue, according to the report.