St. Louis' two largest home health agencies, Call A Nurse and the Visiting Nurse Association, stopped Medicare operations in May 1998. Thirteen other agencies in the area closed down. Heart disease, cancer, and stroke are the leading causes of death. Although death rates from heart disease have declined for the elderly since the 1960s, it remains the leading cause of death among them. Death rates from cancer, on the other hand, have increased since 1960.
Poverty rates vary greatly among subgroups.
In general, elderly women have a higher poverty rate than elderly men. Minority elderly have higher poverty rates than non-minority. According to the St. Louis Department of Human Services, 18.3 percent of those over the age of 60 in the City live below the poverty level. Lack of income results in housing problems. Although many elderly have incomes that are above the poverty line, they are still living on a very limited budget.