C4. In 2010, a U.S. Census Bureau report revealed that approximately 14.3% of all Americans were living below the poverty line in 2009. This figure is higher than in 2000, when the poverty rate was 12.2%. Individuals and families living below the poverty line face many obstacles, the least of which is access to health care. In many cases, those living below the poverty line are without any form of health insurance. Using data from the U.S. Census Bureau, analyze the relationship between living below the poverty line and access to health care for a random sample of 12 states. (The health insurance data are pre–Affordable Care Act implementation.)

1. Construct a scatterplot, predicting the percentage without health insurance with the percentage living below the poverty level. Does it appear that a straight-line relationship will fit the data?
2. Calculate the regression equation with percentage of the population without health insurance as the dependent variable, and draw the regression line on the scatterplot.
What is its slope? What is the intercept? Has your opinion changed about whether a straight line seems to fit the data? Are there any states that fall far from the regression line? Which one(s)?

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State Percentage Below Poverty Line (2009) Percentage Without Health Insurance (2009) Alabama 17.9 16.9 California 14.2 20 Idaho 14.3 15.2 Louisiana 17.3 16 New Jersey 9.4 15.8 New York 14.2 14.8 Pennsylvania 12.5 11.4 Rhode Island 11.5 12.3 South Carolina 17.1 17.0 Texas 17.2 26.1 Washington 12.3 12.9 Wisconsin 12.4 9.5 Source: U.S. Census Bureau, The 2012 Statistical Abstract, 2011, Tables 709 and 156.