Work Requirements

B

bdroc

Active member
I don't understand the opposition to work requirements for receiving SNAP or Medicaid benefits. The requirement only applies to healthy working age people without dependent children and recipients are only required to work 20 hrs per week. That seems like an extremely low bar to me.

I'm curious to hear from those who disagree with this policy.
 
I think that it sounds okay, but people will fall through those cracks. I think it would be far better to fix the medical system than to keep propping it up with insurance that doesn't work so well. 1/3 of all medical expenses are to file forms with insurance. It also gives insurance companies or govt agencies the say in how the medical system works. What gets covered and what doesn't.

I'm retired and have Medicare. I have to pay for my Medicare Advantage at $170/mo. I don't take any drugs, and only a few annual trips to doctors for a checkup. A recent blood test was billed at $286, which was inflated. The insurance co. paid $18.50, I paid $20. I might have a couple of bills a year, and I always pay more than the insurance co.

If the govt thinks it has to provide healthcare, then they should set up clinics for those that can't afford it. Right now, according to a hospital employee, hospital ERs are still overflowing with uninsured, and they're forcing the rest of the system to pay for them.

Work requirements might work if there are sufficient jobs available. It would save $3.4 billion/yr. Is it worth the added bureaucracy?
 
Forester Gump said:
I think that it sounds okay, but people will fall through those cracks. I think it would be far better to fix the medical system than to keep propping it up with insurance that doesn't work so well. 1/3 of all medical expenses are to file forms with insurance. It also gives insurance companies or govt agencies the say in how the medical system works. What gets covered and what doesn't.

I'm retired and have Medicare. I have to pay for my Medicare Advantage at $170/mo. I don't take any drugs, and only a few annual trips to doctors for a checkup. A recent blood test was billed at $286, which was inflated. The insurance co. paid $18.50, I paid $20. I might have a couple of bills a year, and I always pay more than the insurance co.

If the govt thinks it has to provide healthcare, then they should set up clinics for those that can't afford it. Right now, according to a hospital employee, hospital ERs are still overflowing with uninsured, and they're forcing the rest of the system to pay for them.

Work requirements might work if there are sufficient jobs available. It would save $3.4 billion/yr. Is it worth the added bureaucracy?
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Agreed. Either work or diligently applying for a job. And things do need rework within the healthcare establishment. More PAs & RNs, plus Urgent Care facilities help. And may need to look at malpractice and other liability insurances for practitioners. Regarding paperwork, wasn't that supposed to severely cut down on labor costs? Finally, standardize charges for most outpatient issues (e.g. bronchitis and a Zpak) with clearly itemized, complete, and immediate billing.
 
bdroc said:
I don't understand the opposition to work requirements for receiving SNAP or Medicaid benefits. The requirement only applies to healthy working age people without dependent children and recipients are only required to work 20 hrs per week. That seems like an extremely low bar to me.

I'm curious to hear from those who disagree with this policy.
Click to expand...

There is a clip of Schmuck Chumar explicitly stating that he wants to cut fraud and abuse out of Medicare. I wish I could find it.

That said, here's a good article from Karl Rove. The GOP needs to get out in front of the fear mongering from the left.

https://thehill.com/homenews/campai...beautiful-bill-will-have-huge-impact-on-2026/

Rove lauded the Republican-backed “big, beautiful bill,” however, cheering its new 80-hour-a-month work requirements for certain Medicaid recipients.

“The able-bodied, think about it, there was an interesting study done of able-bodied people on Medicaid, and that you know what their number one activity was if they weren’t working? It was watching television, and number two was playing online games,” Rove told Fox News.

The legislation is set to push millions off of Medicaid coverage and require twice-yearly eligibility check-ins instead of the previous annual evaluation.
 
Forester Gump said:
I think that it sounds okay, but people will fall through those cracks. I think it would be far better to fix the medical system than to keep propping it up with insurance that doesn't work so well. 1/3 of all medical expenses are to file forms with insurance. It also gives insurance companies or govt agencies the say in how the medical system works. What gets covered and what doesn't.

I'm retired and have Medicare. I have to pay for my Medicare Advantage at $170/mo. I don't take any drugs, and only a few annual trips to doctors for a checkup. A recent blood test was billed at $286, which was inflated. The insurance co. paid $18.50, I paid $20. I might have a couple of bills a year, and I always pay more than the insurance co.

If the govt thinks it has to provide healthcare, then they should set up clinics for those that can't afford it. Right now, according to a hospital employee, hospital ERs are still overflowing with uninsured, and they're forcing the rest of the system to pay for them.

Work requirements might work if there are sufficient jobs available. It would save $3.4 billion/yr. Is it worth the added bureaucracy?
Click to expand...
I don't understand parts of your post.
  1. Who would fall through the cracks? All you have to do is sign up like you do today. The only added requirement is to work part time, volunteer part time, go to school, or at least look for a job. Do you think that causes people to fall through the cracks?
Wrt fixing the healthcare system: I agree 100% that it's ridiculous to see providers bill $286 but agree to accept $38.50. How would you fix it? You're on Medicare which is a government system. Regulations have caused healthcare to be anything but a free market system. Providers would publish prices if it was a true free market system. I struggle to see how more government fixes the problems it has caused. Of course now we're talking about helathcare in general, not Medicaid work requirements.

You mentioned clinics but that would be an enormous amount of clinics including rural areas.

Growth of Medicaid enrollment since 1966. This isn't cost increases due to inflation. It's more people on the program.

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I've seen some reports that there would be a certain subset that wouldn't be able to do the paperwork.

We used to have a system where you went to the doctor of your choice. They've pretty well been absorbed by the corporate medical system. There is no free market. You can't get to a specialist unless you're in the system. Then the system decides on what is the healthcare you will get. I haven't seen a GP doctor in decades. My wellness checks have all been done by NPs. I don't know the cure, but a one size fits all isn't a good model.
 
There is a natural progression toward monopolies. That's where the money and power lie. Healthcare, insurance, food/ag, banking, WEF, etc. And there's never really any economies of scale benefits that are passed along. There's also a natural proclivity of people wanting choices and being free.
 
Frank Lee said:
There is a natural progression toward monopolies. That's where the money and power lie. Healthcare, insurance, food/ag, banking, WEF, etc. And there's never really any economies of scale benefits that are passed along. There's also a natural proclivity of people wanting choices and being free.
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I disagree with your claim that economies of scale aren't passed along.

Small providers can't compete with the big guys. You can buy food at farmer's markets but they're more expensive than buying from Walmart. Same is true for most things including healthcare. Government not for profit insurers couldn't compete with the big companies even with subsidies.
 
bdroc said:
I disagree with your claim that economies of scale aren't passed along.

Small providers can't compete with the big guys. You can buy food at farmer's markets but they're more expensive than buying from Walmart. Same is true for most things including healthcare. Government not for profit insurers couldn't compete with the big companies even with subsidies.
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Beef is $8/lb and upward. There are four beef processors in the US and some are foreign own. Re Walmart... it forces price concessions from its suppliers based on leverage from volume purchases. WM's niche/branding is based on lowest prices. Other than that, initial labor (e.g. Guangdong factory workers) and the consumer on the other end don't benefit from the profits made in-between.
 
Forester Gump said:
I've seen some reports that there would be a certain subset that wouldn't be able to do the paperwork.

We used to have a system where you went to the doctor of your choice. They've pretty well been absorbed by the corporate medical system. There is no free market. You can't get to a specialist unless you're in the system. Then the system decides on what is the healthcare you will get. I haven't seen a GP doctor in decades. My wellness checks have all been done by NPs. I don't know the cure, but a one size fits all isn't a good model.
Click to expand...

Welcome to Obamacare. All hail Obamacare.
 
bdroc said:
I disagree with your claim that economies of scale aren't passed along.

Small providers can't compete with the big guys. You can buy food at farmer's markets but they're more expensive than buying from Walmart. Same is true for most things including healthcare. Government not for profit insurers couldn't compete with the big companies even with subsidies.
Click to expand...

THere is nothing free market about the healthcare industry.
 
bdroc said:
I don't understand the opposition to work requirements for receiving SNAP or Medicaid benefits. The requirement only applies to healthy working age people without dependent children and recipients are only required to work 20 hrs per week. That seems like an extremely low bar to me.

I'm curious to hear from those who disagree with this policy.
Click to expand...
Just as an FYI, there's a General Free For All board, where something like this is supposed to go. This board is supposed to be for topics not covered by specific boards (football, etc.), but fairly local to State College.
 
bdroc said:
I don't understand the opposition to work requirements for receiving SNAP or Medicaid benefits. The requirement only applies to healthy working age people without dependent children and recipients are only required to work 20 hrs per week. That seems like an extremely low bar to me.

I'm curious to hear from those who disagree with this policy.
Click to expand...
I'm more in the middle, but I'm not sure about this policy. Able-bodied people without children between 19-64 who are on SNAP and Medicaid probably have other issues (mental health, poverty) that may make holding a job or even showing up to volunteer kind of a problem.
 
IANit said:
I'm more in the middle, but I'm not sure about this policy. Able-bodied people without children between 19-64 who are on SNAP and Medicaid probably have other issues (mental health, poverty) that may make holding a job or even showing up to volunteer kind of a problem.
Click to expand...

They have disability for that. Problem solved. Next.
 
Frank Lee said:
Beef is $8/lb and upward. There are four beef processors in the US and some are foreign own. Re Walmart... it forces price concessions from its suppliers based on leverage from volume purchases. WM's niche/branding is based on lowest prices. Other than that, initial labor (e.g. Guangdong factory workers) and the consumer on the other end don't benefit from the profits made in-between.
Click to expand...

Do you think $8 per pound for beef is a lot?

This isn't hamburger meat, but cuts of steak.

I will wait.
 
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