Join the Resistance Against the Right-Wing Multi-Billionaire Koch Brothers

[james&olya 1,121]

If that bad fortune came knocking at my door I'd sell it the shirt off my back and then use that money to relocate to where jobs are.

Wow, you must wear REALLY expensive shirts! And where is this place that has so many jobs available?

[JohnSmith2007 353]

Wow, you must wear REALLY expensive shirts! And where is this place that has so many jobs available?

They are all over the place. All you have to do is be willing to move.

[mawilson 2,133]

How can anyone lump every user of food stamps into the same category?

Easily. It takes a certain kind of person to use them; I'd sooner starve than go on food stamps.

[mawilson 2,133]

Wow, you must wear REALLY expensive shirts! And where is this place that has so many jobs available?

There are jobs *everywhere* - you just can't be too picky.

[slim 1,514]

Wow, you must wear REALLY expensive shirts! And where is this place that has so many jobs available?

I wear cheap shirts most of the time. As others have pointed out, it wouldn't take much to relocate to where jobs are.

[_Simpson_ 250]

i don't think anyone here cares about how it worked 30 or 40 years ago.

It was more like 20 years ago. If you dont think this sort of scamming goes on nowadays your're being very naive.

[_Simpson_ 250]

I think they should bring paper food stamps back.

These days welfare recipients get a special debit card which removes the stigma

associated with receiving aid, as it is virtually indistinguishable from an

ordinary bank card.

What about the kids that had to go in and use the paper food stamps. It was very embarrassing for them, shame on the parents.

[sandinista! 1,816]

It was more like 20 years ago. If you dont think this sort of scamming goes on nowadays your're being very naive.

i didn't say this kind of scamming doesn't go on anymore. if anything, it's now much more streamlined, and far more efficient than running into thirteen different stores buying 10 cent candy to get back change. i was just wondering if anyone has any relevant examples of abuses they see occurring now, in the 21st century. most of the complaints i hear about poor people abusing the system comes from ER drs and nurses talking about people on the oregon health plan using the ER as their own personal after hours drs office, for things that are truly not emergencies, and that the majority of reasonable people would know are not emergencies. why miss work or your other plans that you have the following day in order to take yr kid to the drs office, when you can just show up at the er in the evening for a regular cough, or mild diarrhea? it's free either way, so why let yr kid getting sick interfere with yr day plans? when parents have regular old insurance, and there's a significant cost difference between a drs visit and an er visit, they have to be like real, informed parents, and measure and evaluate their kids circumstances in order to tell whether it's a situation that needs to be addressed immediately, or can wait until the following morning. non emergencies in the ER consistently bog down the whole system.

[james&olya 1,121]

i didn't say this kind of scamming doesn't go on anymore. if anything, it's now much more streamlined, and far more efficient than running into thirteen different stores buying 10 cent candy to get back change. i was just wondering if anyone has any relevant examples of abuses they see occurring now, in the 21st century. most of the complaints i hear about poor people abusing the system comes from ER drs and nurses talking about people on the oregon health plan using the ER as their own personal after hours drs office, for things that are truly not emergencies, and that the majority of reasonable people would know are not emergencies. why miss work or your other plans that you have the following day in order to take yr kid to the drs office, when you can just show up at the er in the evening for a regular cough, or mild diarrhea? it's free either way, so why let yr kid getting sick interfere with yr day plans? when parents have regular old insurance, and there's a significant cost difference between a drs visit and an er visit, they have to be like real, informed parents, and measure and evaluate their kids circumstances in order to tell whether it's a situation that needs to be addressed immediately, or can wait until the following morning. non emergencies in the ER consistently bog down the whole system.

This could be solved very easily. All services should have a co-pay. Even a $2.00 charge for an office visit and $10.00 for the ER, payable at time of service, would go a long way toward discouraging misuse of the system. The ambulance should be $20.00 if summoned by family or patient. If not paid at time of service these amounts should be doubled and subtracted from the next benefit check. These amounts are not large enough to be punitive but enough to be noticed. People tend to value things based on what they pay for them. Giving things away makes some people less aware of their value.

[slim 1,514]

Why don't all govt. programs have a co-pay then? If milk is $3.89, why not make mom pay $.39 of that?

[james&olya 1,121]

Why don't all govt. programs have a co-pay then? If milk is $3.89, why not make mom pay $.39 of that?

It would make sense if, as is the case with health-care, there was evidence that some people utilize services inappropriately because they face no financial disincentive to over-utilize. I don't see where this applies to milk. Also, unlike purchasing milk, there is no limit to the volume of health care services a medicaid recipient can get.

[_Simpson_ 250]

i didn't say this kind of scamming doesn't go on anymore. if anything, it's now much more streamlined, and far more efficient than running into thirteen different stores buying 10 cent candy to get back change. i was just wondering if anyone has any relevant examples of abuses they see occurring now, in the 21st century. most of the complaints i hear about poor people abusing the system comes from ER drs and nurses talking about people on the oregon health plan using the ER as their own personal after hours drs office, for things that are truly not emergencies, and that the majority of reasonable people would know are not emergencies. why miss work or your other plans that you have the following day in order to take yr kid to the drs office, when you can just show up at the er in the evening for a regular cough, or mild diarrhea? it's free either way, so why let yr kid getting sick interfere with yr day plans? when parents have regular old insurance, and there's a significant cost difference between a drs visit and an er visit, they have to be like real, informed parents, and measure and evaluate their kids circumstances in order to tell whether it's a situation that needs to be addressed immediately, or can wait until the following morning. non emergencies in the ER consistently bog down the whole system.

So we agree then the system is abused.