Government Coup

Alan, your post was interesting and I understand a lot of what your point is.

So if any expanded Medicaid or other programs that states pay for totally exclude illegals, how will that affect us as a whole. For instance, if children get no healthcare and are allowed to go to school without questioning legal status, what happens during measles for example when herd immunity is not reached? What happens if a woman goes into labor?

As long as children are allowed to go to school without questioning legal no documentation of legal status, there is birthright citizenship and people can request asylum anytime, not just at a legal border crossing at first entry this will continue to be a problem. Plus employers not checking legal status or e-verify being incorrect. Like the Iowa school district superintendent fiasco. Until stiff penalties are given to employers this will not change. Obviously day laborers outside of a Home Depot would cease to exist. Do you think any of these things will be changed to avoid some of these problems?

executive orders will not fix this. And I seriously doubt laws will change with our legislative make up. And should they change? Impeachments, investigations, opposition to doge actions large taking up enormous legal time and resources that could go towards getting these issues straightened out. Both parties are to blame.

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Originally Posted by catherine

So, I'm working on my next market research report, and here is a direct quote from a person I spoke with about social determinants of health.

So I grew up with no privilege. I created my own privilege through just educating myself and learning all I could learn. I was very determined to not be a product of where I came from. I tried really hard to elevate myself, which I did. I've worked for General Motors, Hewlett Packard, and it was my cushion. Corporate America was my cushion. It provided me with all the stability, all of the comfort that I needed, but it was not satisfying to my purpose. So I work a full time schedule on a very part time salary. So I don't currently have medical insurance. I this is my first time in life, being without medical insurance, I'm scared...a little nervous. I do have health conditions, but I maintain the best I can by trying to eat healthy.I protected myself with life insurance. I feel like, if you know nothing else, I will be covered on that end.

If this person who is working in a non-profit setting (her choice--but a highly rewarding one for her, and I'm sure beneficial for her community) had access to a national heath system, she wouldn't have to pray she doesn't get an emergency that will put her in the hospital. AND she is willing to work for peanuts to provide value to her community. The country is getting a great deal with her as a dedicated citizen. It would be more of a win-win situation if the country provided her with the same health benefits she got at her soul-sucking corporate job.

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https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gURhbK0Q8pc


I just happened to run across this today as I was listening to Caleb Hammer, one of the financial kids I tune into now and then.

This is your girl. She wants to flee the United States because she “literally “ hates everything about the United States and when pressed for specifics, she literally hates the healthcare system, the one she’s never applied for help with. The one she clearly knows nothing about. The one she’s too lazy to explore.

The salient conversation happens at 9:15 To 12:45.

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Originally Posted by iris lilies

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gURhbK0Q8pc


I just happened to run across this today as I was listening to Caleb Hamme, one of the financial kids I tune into now and then.

This is your girl. She wants to flee the United States because she “literally “ hates everything about the United States and when pressed for specifics, she literally hates the healthcare system, the one she’s never applied for help with. The one she clearly knows nothing about. The one she’s too lazy to explore.

The salient conversation happens at 9:15 To 12:45.

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First of all, I also like Caleb Hamme. He's annoying sometimes to listen to, but he makes some good points, and he made a few good points in that clip--not to mention how annoying that woman is.

The person I quoted in my previous post did say this (which I didn't include in the quote above):
"I know that I have the resources and I have people that I can go to to perhaps get some type of insurance that is affordable, but it may not be what I would been offered if I was still with General Motors. So I am conditioning myself to just being accepting whatever it is that I qualify for."

The person I interviewed was really nothing like the woman in the video because my interviewee was driven, self-motivated, intelligent, and principled. She didn't complain, she was just talking about the reality of her situation. Yes, she made that choice to work for a non-profit on a very small salary and she gave up a sweet Cadillac plan. My point is that IMHO, insurance access should be more universal in terms of coverage. It would make everything more efficient.

But thanks for the video. Now I want to watch the whole thing!

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Originally Posted by catherine

First of all, I also like Caleb Hamme. He's annoying sometimes to listen to, but he makes some good points, and he made a few good points in that clip--not to mention how annoying that woman is.

The person I quoted in my previous post did say this (which I didn't include in the quote above):
"I know that I have the resources and I have people that I can go to to perhaps get some type of insurance that is affordable, but it may not be what I would been offered if I was still with General Motors. So I am conditioning myself to just being accepting whatever it is that I qualify for."

The person I interviewed was really nothing like the woman in the video because my interviewee was driven, self-motivated, intelligent, and principled. She didn't complain, she was just talking about the reality of her situation. Yes, she made that choice to work for a non-profit on a very small salary and she gave up a sweet Cadillac plan. My point is that IMHO, insurance access should be more universal in terms of coverage. It would make everything more efficient.

But thanks for the video. Now I want to watch the whole thing!

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I came for the mustache. i stayed for the shitshow.

gawd almighy this girl is dumb. But pretty. Her boyfriend is dumb and p*$$ywhipped. That’s the only explanation.

I haven’t watched the entire thing yet, I had to drive to Kansas City for a meeting. But if she’s taking psych meds she has clearly has some sort of interaction with some kind of health professional.

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Originally Posted by catherine

First of all, I also like Caleb Hamme. He's annoying sometimes to listen to, but he makes some good points, and he made a few good points in that clip--not to mention how annoying that woman is.

The person I quoted in my previous post did say this (which I didn't include in the quote above):
"I know that I have the resources and I have people that I can go to to perhaps get some type of insurance that is affordable, but it may not be what I would been offered if I was still with General Motors. So I am conditioning myself to just being accepting whatever it is that I qualify for."

The person I interviewed was really nothing like the woman in the video because my interviewee was driven, self-motivated, intelligent, and principled. She didn't complain, she was just talking about the reality of her situation. Yes, she made that choice to work for a non-profit on a very small salary and she gave up a sweet Cadillac plan. My point is that IMHO, insurance access should be more universal in terms of coverage. It would make everything more efficient.

But thanks for the video. Now I want to watch the whole thing!

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OK, I agree that the girl in the Caleb Hammer interview is not the same as your interviewee. I just wish your interviewee would explore health insurance because if she has ANY money at all, she needs to protect it. A health event could wipe out her bank account.

Sure understand your point that yes having a national health plan be wonderful* but we don’t have that. We do have all kinds of tax supported health insurance programs so why isn’t she looking into those? Seriously, why?

One reason could be that as Mr. Hammer points out, it’s the TikTok mindset. Drilled into everyone that healthcare is so bad here in the United States. It’s not even worth looking into . just like I had a anti-ACA mindset and was convinced the ACA kept me from having a catastrophic plan when I learned just the last couple days that it did not. We would’ve liked that catastrophic plan.

your interviewee might find that the healthcare plans available to her may not not be the crap she thinks they are. I’m satisfied with the government healthcare plan I’m on and it certainly is not free. I was satisfied with an ACA silver plan which WAS close to free fir us.

*or would it? Hmmm.

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Originally Posted by iris lilies

OK, I agree that the girl in the Caleb Hammer interview is not the same as your interviewee. I just wish your interviewee would explore health insurance because if she has ANY money at all, she needs to protect it. A health event could wipe out her bank account.

Sure understand your point that yes having a national health plan be wonderful* but we don’t have that. We do have all kinds of tax supported health insurance programs so why isn’t she looking into those? Seriously, why?

One reason could be that as Mr. Hammer points out, it’s the TikTok mindset. Drilled into everyone that healthcare is so bad here in the United States. It’s not even worth looking into . just like I had a anti-ACA mindset and was convinced the ACA kept me from having a catastrophic plan when I learned just the last couple days that it did not. We would’ve liked that catastrophic plan.

your interviewee might find that the healthcare plans available to her may not not be the crap she thinks they are. I’m satisfied with the government healthcare plan I’m on and it certainly is not free. I was satisfied with an ACA silver plan which WAS close to free fir us.

*or would it? Hmmm.

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You definitely raise good points and I don't disagree. In my research, however, I've heard that it is very difficult to navigate the healthcare system. I know the reflexive response is "well, try harder--your life depends on it" but for people who are overwhelmed with just keeping their heads above water on a daily basis--balancing jobs and kids and maybe being a single parent and having to choose between gas to get to work and risking the utilities being shut off... every day is a battlefield. So then when you apply for Medicaid and they ask you to document a $50 savings bond that you bought 5 years ago and a myraid of things like that, it gets pushed to the side. You're not sick today, right? I think that couple on Caleb Hammer's show were ridiculous, but I've spoken to a lot of other people who are not ridiculous... just overwhelmed.

It is very difficult without having experienced it, to know what it's like, and it's very easy for people to judge. It's a natural reaction unless you've been there. But I do agree, that my interviewee has the wherewithal to just get something that works for her so she can move on.

One consistent message I got from the people I spoke with is that lack of life skills is a generational lack. They aren't taught and they have no clue. They admitted that when it comes to helping communities dealing with social determinants of health, education on basic life skills would go a long way.

I absolutely agree that in the bigger picture, navigating all of the social welfare programs can be complex, time consuming, and just frustrating.
And for people who dont drive so have limited transportation and who may have limited internet access or skills, it is even worse. Add in having to drag a couple of little kids along every time ypu want to apply for food stamps or TANF benefits or whatever, what a nightmare.

But then, they aren’t working (necessarily, for some anyway) so that IS their work.

Think of our own welfare system experience, the alphabet soup of Medicare. It is pretty complicated and of course not free.

But your interviewee is an educated person. It just takes one person to lead her to Healthcare.gov. Why dont YOU send her that link because that’s where she should start.

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Originally Posted by iris lilies

But your interviewee is an educated person. It just takes one person to lead her to Healthcare.gov. Why dont YOU send her that link because that’s where she should start.

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Yes, unfortunately, as a market researcher, I can't do stuff like that. Do you know how often I've heard patients relay bad advice they've gotten, or misperceptions they have about their health conditions and I can't correct them? On occasion I've been tempted to slip them an offline hint...

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Originally Posted by Alan

But in many cases they do qualify for state Medicaid benefits which are paid using federal Medicaid dollars. https://www.uspresidentialelectionne...oogle_vignette

How States Backdoor Federal Medicaid Money

Some states have restructured their budgets in ways that let them expand coverage to people who should not qualify, while still drawing down federal Medicaid matching funds.

• Provider tax recycling: States like California tax hospitals and insurers, then recycle the money back through Medicaid payments. That inflated spending triggers more federal matching funds, which are then used to expand coverage
• Artificial cost shifting: By reclassifying certain services or administrative costs, states can claim them under Medicaid and pull in a federal match, even when the services go to populations that should be excluded
• Waivers and loopholes: Some states apply for waivers or build state programs that mirror Medicaid, but still manage to intertwine them with the federal match system
• State-funded Medicaid lookalikes: In places like California, Oregon, Washington, Illinois, New York, and New Jersey, these programs provide full health coverage to illegal immigrants. On paper, they are “state programs,” but in practice, they often rely on the same infrastructure and funding flows as Medicaid

The result is that Medicaid dollars, both state and federal, are being used directly and indirectly to pay for illegal immigrant health care.

• California – Full Medicaid-style coverage for all low-income adults regardless of status (Source)
• Oregon – Full Medicaid-style coverage for all ages, regardless of status (Source)
• Washington – Full Medicaid-style coverage for adults regardless of status (Source)
• Illinois – Medicaid-style coverage for undocumented seniors 65+(Source)
• New York – Full Medicaid for undocumented seniors 65+; pregnant women and children also covered regardless of status (Source)
• New Jersey – Coverage for all children under 19, regardless of immigration status (Source)
• Connecticut – Coverage for children up to age 15, regardless of immigration status (Source)
• Rhode Island – Coverage for all children under 18, regardless of immigration status (Source)
• Massachusetts – MassHealth Limited plus Health Safety Net for certain hospital/community health services, regardless of status (Source)
• District of Columbia – DC Health Care Alliance covers undocumented adults (Source)
• Minnesota – MinnesotaCare expansion for undocumented adults (Ended July 2025, Source)
• Colorado – Not Medicaid, but OmniSalud provides subsidized marketplace plans for undocumented residents (Source)

This list is not exhaustive but merely a sample of where illegal aliens can receive taxpayer-funded Medicaid on your dime.

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This is a very good example of indirect funding of issues claimed by some not to be funded. I knew there was tax money going to adult illegal aliens but at the superficial level, that money cannot be identified.

It reminds me of NPR claiming they don’t get money from taxes but the truth is that they got some funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which is entirely tax funded. it’s a tax pass through.

And I’m not even saying that’s wrong, necessarily, I see that life is complex and there really isn’t much simple about our world.

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Originally Posted by catherine

Yes, unfortunately, as a market researcher, I can't do stuff like that. Do you know how often I've heard patients relay bad advice they've gotten, or misperceptions they have about their health conditions and I can't correct them? On occasion I've been tempted to slip them an offline hint...

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Not to drag this topic on, I am listening to Ramit and he actually speaks to some of the family/cultural/societal issues about growing up on the edge. The clip starts at 1:02:30 and runs for 3 minutes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLUp-vF98uo

I related to Josh in many ways.