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ECONOMIC REPORT OF THE PRESIDENT

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Figure 3-ii<br />

Top 1 Percent Income Share by Decade, 1980–2013<br />

Percent of Total Income<br />

20<br />

18<br />

16<br />

Pre-Tax<br />

After-Tax<br />

14<br />

12<br />

10<br />

8<br />

1980s 1990s 2000s 2010–2013<br />

Note: Households ranked by pre-tax income for both pre-tax and after-tax income shares.<br />

Source: CBO (2016b); CEA calculations.<br />

Notably, however, the growth rate of inequality may have slowed or<br />

paused in recent years according to this measure. Since 2000, the income<br />

share of the top 1 percent has been highly cyclical, but relatively littlechanged<br />

on net. At the same time, other measures of inequality, such as<br />

the Gini index for market incomes, have continued to increase. These<br />

data raise the possibility that the rapid increase in income inequality that<br />

the United States has experienced over recent decades may be entering<br />

a new phase. However, even if the growth in inequality has slowed, the<br />

elevated level of inequality will remain a pressing concern.<br />

2014a). Although the economy was dealt its most severe blow since the Great<br />

Depression, the poverty rate measured to include the effects of antipoverty<br />

policy measures rose just half a percentage point. Excluding these measures,<br />

the poverty rate would have risen 4.5 percentage points—9 times greater<br />

than the actual increase.<br />

The Affordable Care Act: Providing<br />

Affordable, Accessible Health Insurance<br />

In 2008, 44 million Americans lacked health insurance. Individuals<br />

with pre-existing conditions were often locked out of health insurance,<br />

Progress Reducing Inequality | 165

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