Family has money for international travel, but not healthcare

[nehalem256]

When Claudia, a mother of seven who lives in a Dallas suburb, feels sick, she doesn’t bother trying to make a doctor’s appointment. Without health insurance, even a simple consultation would cost more than a day’s pay.
...
Any money that otherwise might be spent on a costly out-of-pocket appointment is saved up instead for yearly trips to El Salvador, where Claudia’s husband moved with four of their children after he was deported eight years ago. Claudia has been managing like this since 2007, the last time she had a permanent job that provided health insurance.

http://www.theatlantic.com/health/a...a-red-state/282881/?google_editors_picks=true

Why does it seem like almost every article about the poor always has a giant WTF moment? Is there really such a lack of poor people that got that way despite making good life choices?

 

[Genx87]

This problem isnt just about the poor. A lot of the country would rather pay for cell phones, cable tv, new cars they dont need than for health insurance.

 

[Nebor]

How about you link the story, chief?

 

[Mursilis]

This problem isnt just about the poor. A lot of the country would rather pay for cell phones, cable tv, new cars they dont need than for health insurance.

And tattoos . . . don't forget tattoos. The Washington Post ran an extended piece last spring about a young couple struggling to feed their family on food stamps, and both of them were inked up (and still in hock to the tattoo shop for $75, according to the article).

 

[KB]

Yes often the poor make bad decisions. In many cases that is why they are poor. They certainly have differing priorities than I.

I was in line at Walamrt behind a women with her EBT card. She had two carts full of groceries, filled with tons of frozen pizzas, and tv dinners etc, but no produce and no ingrediants for making meals, like flour and chicken breast. What got me though was that she had half a cart full of bottled sparkling flavored waters and I assume capri-suns for the kids. I felt like telling her, "You know tap water is so cheap its almost free. Drop the expensive water and you can afford some healthy produce for the kids." But of course I said nothing, I doubt she would appreciate my two cents.

 

[BUnit1701]

Yes often the poor make bad decisions. In many cases that is why they are poor. They certainly have differing priorities than I.

I was in line at Walamrt behind a women with her EBT card. She had two carts full of groceries, filled with tons of frozen pizzas, and tv dinners etc, but no produce and no ingrediants for making meals, like flour and chicken breast. What got me though was that she had half a cart full of bottled sparkling flavored waters and I assume capri-suns for the kids. I felt like telling her, "You know tap water is so cheap its almost free. Drop the expensive water and you can afford some healthy produce for the kids." But of course I said nothing, I doubt she would appreciate my two cents.

Ain't nobody got time for dat! Real Housewives of Wherever is gonna be on, and the American Idol will be chosen tonight!

 

[Nintendesert]

The poor are poor for a reason and that reason is usually themselves.

 

[jhbball]

http://www.theatlantic.com/health/a...a-red-state/282881/?google_editors_picks=true

Why does it seem like almost every article about the poor always has a giant WTF moment? Is there really such a lack of poor people that got that way despite making good life choices?

Oh NO. A mother traveling to El Salvador to see her husband and 4 children. WTFBBQ.

 

[BUnit1701]

Reading fail, disregard this post

 

[Zargon]

Oh NO. A mother traveling to El Salvador to see her husband and 4 children. WTFBBQ.

at the expense of healthcare, is the point hes making

 

[ElFenix]

which is why you have to force people to buy health insurance by making it a requirement.

 

[nageov3t]

round trip flight to El Salvador is $700; maybe less if she has a credit card that gives her free miles.

can you get health care coverage for $60/month?

 

[TerryMathews]

http://www.theatlantic.com/health/a...a-red-state/282881/?google_editors_picks=true

Why does it seem like almost every article about the poor always has a giant WTF moment? Is there really such a lack of poor people that got that way despite making good life choices?

I do a lot of things that cost more than a day's pay. I mean WTF? Did Obama write this article himself?

Let's put some numbers to this: a person in the lower middle class but comfortably above the poverty line might make $32,500/yr. Using a standard 78% gross to net conversion, that gives them a daily take home of $69.45 (32500 * .78 / 365)

Oh noes! My copay on my glasses is higher than that, call the NY Times!

 

[Sonikku]

This is why you can't trust cops. 100% of the cops you hear about in the media are bad. I'm sure if any of them were good, the media would let us know. 100% of them must be out to beat us with a baton at their earliest convenience.

The same way poverty doesn't really exist in this country near as one can tell. If they weren't all buying Iphones and driving fancy BMW cars and living in big houses, you could live on minimum wage anywhere in the country and pay for housing and healthcare and groceries and gas and a car payment and everything you need without relying on the government teat.

 

[Zaap]

Man, such a terrible country.

It's apparently so awful, that someone (possibly not a legal citizen) whose spouse and 4 kids have been deported wouldn't choose to stay here rather than live with their family.

How much that we don't have can we give away in order to change this terrible situation?

 

[TerryMathews]

round trip flight to El Salvador is $700; maybe less if she has a credit card that gives her free miles.

can you get health care coverage for $60/month?

Prior to Obamacare, if she were a healthy young person maybe.

 

[Mai72]

I love Larry. He tells it like it is. He says that he can tell about your priories just by looking at how you spend your money.

 

[glenn1]

which is why you have to force people to buy health insurance by making it a requirement.

Why would the poor buy health insurance regardless of whether it's required for the rest of us? A major premise of Obamacare was to give subsidized or *free* healthcare to the poor, why would they use their own funds for something Progressives are falling over themselves to give to her anyway? Progressives don't care about how the objects of their generosity got poor, and generally assume it's because they got "screwed" by the 1% somehow, so why shouldn't this woman use her limited resources on something for herself?

 

[berzerker60]

I love Larry. He tells it like it is. He says that he can tell about your priories just by looking at how you spend your money.

If our high schools taught basic financial literacy, and our high schools in the poorest areas weren't also therefore the worst-funded, he might have a point. People making dumb decisions because they don't know better isn't exactly a cause for morally judging them and being smug. When I was a kid I drove my car with a flat tire a good number of blocks to the tire place - I learned an expensive lesson (ruined the rim), but it's not like everyone can know everything just by birth. For someone who grew up with parents who had bad money habits and were ignorant about finances, where are they going to learn these things? They're sure not taught in most schools. Likely most people they know also never learned about personal finance and are making the same decisions, so it seems totally normal.

The lesson being, we ought to be arguing for (paying for) better education before mocking people for being not knowing how to do things.

Why would the poor buy health insurance regardless of whether it's required for the rest of us? A major premise of Obamacare was to give subsidized or *free* healthcare to the poor, why would they use their own funds for something Progressives are falling over themselves to give to her anyway? Progressives don't care about how the objects of their generosity got poor, and generally assume it's because they got "screwed" by the 1% somehow, so why shouldn't this woman use her limited resources on something for herself?

Okay, so we have a person making some questionable or bad decisions somewhere in America. So what? She probably ought to get subsidized health insurance. I know some people who make other bad decisions too. Should we have one thread per bad decision in America?

 

[Daverino]

round trip flight to El Salvador is $700; maybe less if she has a credit card that gives her free miles.

can you get health care coverage for $60/month?

First, if Texas hadn't been the dick that it is and expanded Medicaid, this would not be an issue. If she lived in New Mexico, she'd have health care.

Second, does anyone really think she's flying to El Salvador? My guess is that she's taking a bus.

 

[nehalem256]

Oh NO. A mother traveling to El Salvador to see her husband and 4 children. WTFBBQ.

You mean her husband who was deported.

Hey lets have 7 kids with an illegal immigrant! What could possibly go wrong?

round trip flight to El Salvador is $700; maybe less if she has a credit card that gives her free miles.

can you get health care coverage for $60/month?

Its not clear if she is bringing along her other 3 children or not.

 

[glenn1]

The lesson being, we ought to be arguing for (paying for) better education before mocking people for being not knowing how to do things.

Is it mocking or helpful when you advocate giving public assistance to someone whose bad decisions may be made with full knowledge that the welfare state will bail them out regardless?

Okay, so we have a person making some questionable or bad decisions somewhere in America. So what? She probably ought to get subsidized health insurance. I know some people who make other bad decisions too. Should we have one thread per bad decision in America?

If she spends her money on plane tickets instead of health insurance then Democrats turn around and give her health insurance anyway, then she's making a rational economic decision, not a poor one.

 

[nehalem256]

First, if Texas hadn't been the dick that it is and expanded Medicaid, this would not be an issue. If she lived in New Mexico, she'd have health care.

And the point is why should the taxpayer be footing the healthcare bill for someone who is spending money on international travel?

Second, does anyone really think she's flying to El Salvador? My guess is that she's taking a bus.

Honestly I assumed she was flying. Would you want to take a bus through Mexico and Guatemala?

 

[Daverino]

And the point is why should the taxpayer be footing the healthcare bill for someone who is spending money on international travel?



Honestly I assumed she was flying. Would you want to take a bus through Mexico and Guatemala?

The taxpayer already foots the bill for everyone else that travels internationally. Why is her case different? She has a choice between seeing her children once a year or getting very expensive health insurance in Texas. The Federal government already spent the money to give her Medicaid but Texas decided not to take it and the dollars went to other states instead. So instead she will go without insurance and be an emergency room no-comp patient. Which, in turn, will raise the insurance rates for everyone else in Texas.

And a bus trip to El Salvador will probably run you around $100-$200. You'd want to take a bus trip if you're poor. Like the woman in the article.

 

[OutHouse]

I love Larry. He tells it like it is. He says that he can tell about your priories just by looking at how you spend your money

No way