- Pregnancy
- Baby & Toddler
- Parents
- Getting Pregnant
- Baby Names
- Product Reviews
-
Registry
- Community
-
More
Want a personalized experience?
Download the free app
Babies: 9 - 12 Months
Philosophical question about government aid programs
If you can qualify for aid, but don't technically need it to survive, should you apply and take the money?
Serious question open for debate.
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Philosophical question about government aid programs
Sarah - 12/23/2008
Alex - 9/30/2011
"I say embrace the total geek in yourself and just enjoy it. Life is too short to be cool." - Shirley Manson, Garbage
my angel babies: 6/10 (chem. pg), 9/10 @ 10 weeks
Not living in the lap of luxury, but you eat fine, have a roof over your head, and dress decently. Maybe you live in a low cost of living area. More money is always welcome.
I personally wouldn't.
Almost all of my clientele do though. The majority of my clientele actually try to get SSI for various and ridiculous reasons. So plenty of people abuse the system.
And yes....it pi$$es me off to no end knowing that I pay taxes for my clients to go sell their Quest card on the street so they have money to buy some weed.
It burns my ass when I know ppl who are on SS (Social Assistance) and they go on family trips to Mexico.
I do know of families who aren't necessarily dependant on it and could do without it despite qualifying, but they use it to their benefit. ie) orthotics for their children, chiropractic care etc...preventative measures against future problems.
No, I would leave it to people who truly did need it to survive.
I notice a lot while I'm shopping that some moms are checking our with their WIC checks (no problem with that--yeah for healthy LOs), but then pay cash (or use a credit card) to buy their beer, cigarettes, etc. Shouldn't that money go to their LOs as well (or at least to something more productive or healthy)? That's always been a pet peeve of mine.
Then no.
If you're eating pasta for dinner every night, have cut out all non-essential utilities, and are in desperate need to new clothing, but you're not starving or on the street, then you should take it.
Sarah - 12/23/2008
Alex - 9/30/2011
"I say embrace the total geek in yourself and just enjoy it. Life is too short to be cool." - Shirley Manson, Garbage
I think this is where the issue is. A lot of these LOs probably aren't planned.
THIS x10000000000000000
Most programs guidelines are so tough that if you qualify you definitely need it to survive. Although Medicaid is funded by the Fed Govt it's administered by the state so every state has different criteria. However, in general the income qualifications for pregnant women are less strict because states don't want children coming into the world lacking prenatal care. In order to qualify for regular Medicaid you have to be pretty poor so I'd say that it's definitely needed to survive. Again this is a generalization. Some states accept higher income levels. I hate to see anyone take advantage of the program but from my experience as Social Worker it's pretty tough to take advantage. Obtaining Medicaid can be a long a difficult process. You don't want to go through all of the crap they put you through unless you really need it.
I'm having problems with the premise - that someone would qualify but not need it.
I guess it depends on the type of aid but in general it seems that the line to qualify for aid is shifting so much that if you do really qualify for it then you WOULD need it to survive. A lot of 'reform' that has taken place over the years has changed the qualifying factors so much that some people who do NEED it, don't 'qualify'.
My grandfather for instance, after my grandmother passed away had his ss payments reduced - which was leaving him with very little money for food each month. My mother took him to try to get some limited assistance. They stated that since he had two vehicles he didn't qualify. Truck # 1 was a 1980 pick-up worth a few hundred bucks and he drove it in town only, and #2 was a 1988 car that probably was only worth 500 bucks and I would not consider it safe to drive but it was his 'own of town' car. But if he had only one vehicle worth even more than 10 times what those two were worth he would have qualified for limited food assistance.
My point is that ... his situation is not unique and my research in women's studies shows that women in poverty are not unique situations either. I just find it hard to believe that someone would actually qualify for the assistance but not NEED it. As so many people NEED it but do not qualify. This is taking for granted that there is no other scheming occurring (such as not reporting income, not reporting a s/o's income, not reporting that multiple families pool money or dwell under the same roof, etc).
If you don't need aid then you shouldn't qualify for it nor apply for it.
It's a lot of paperwork, but it's certainly easier than holding a second or third job. And I'm not talking about just Medicaid. There are a lot of new assistance programs popping up, like the homeowner hardship programs.
The thing that people don't realize is that even if someone has 3 jobs that doesn't mean they can pay for medical care. Medicaid is for people without medical insurance. Many, many, many jobs do not offer benefits or if they do, they take such a huge chunk of the person's income that it doesn't make sense to take it. Purchasing an insurance plan for just a family is outrageously expensive. My husband and I make a pretty decent living but it would be really tough for us to buy an insurance plan outside of a group. I'm only going to speak about medical assitance because I know that I'm pretty knowledgeable about it. This is why we need Health Insurance reform.
This is hard for me to believe. Unless you have health problems (hopefully not caused by unhealthy diet, smoking, or drugs), it seems like there are plans that would at least cover you for a catastrophic event.
Individual Blue is pretty affordable, at least here in Alabama. I think a lot of people are just irresponsible with their spending and don't prioritize their budget correctly, but maybe I am being naive and judge-y.
Unfortunately it is not the person working 3 jobs that is receiving benefits - often they make too much to qualify. ?I think it is these people that absolutely deserve some sort of health care program. ?They are the ones I feel bad for b/c they obviously don't want a hand out. ?
Getting pregnant is not likely to be considered a catastrophic event and it is considered a pre-existing condition so getting coverage is likely really hard. Yes, I'm sure there are people out there making poor decisions about spending and a million other things. I'm sure you make a bad decision about something at least once a week. I sure do. I'm just lucky to have come from a family that understood and stressed the importance of education. I was able to go to college and grad school and get a job with benefits. So my poor decisions don't affect me the same way they might affect someone with less education and finanacial stability. People are often a product of where they come from and it's a hard cycle to break.
Whatev....don't get me started. I could go on and on forever. The bottom line is that life is really hard for some people for a lot of different reasons. Sometimes it's their fault, sometimes it's that they got delt a crappy hand. For the latter, I think it's great that we have programs to help them out.
True, true. I can totally agree with you on all of that.
Yeah a little on the naive side there - Alabama is a relatively low cost of living state so before making judgements on what people can afford just ask. In Maryland the cost of living and property values are nearly 10 times what they were where I grew up (in SE Michigan) - and if I didn't have insurance from my work (which we pay over $500 a month out of pocket to have) we would be paying well over $1,000 a month instead doing a Blue Cross type plan. Since DH is self-employed we can't get coverage from him. Oh and salaries are not that much better here than anywhere else, so you have to find ways to do a LOT more with the same money.