Dem congresswoman says unfair to make medicaid users work since they're all addicts!!

[Meathead]

Yeah, you're full of shit.

If you had pre-existing conditions, finding coverage was next to impossible. Even then the premiums were punitive.

Let's put in terms you can easily relate to:

You're morbidly obese as with so many liberal women. Despite you Medicaid doctor's warnings, you continue to use your EBT card to purchase sugary sodas and junk food and so develop diabetes.

Is that pre-existing condition one that tax payers have to fund ?

 

[Cellblock2429]

There was a time when most Americans felt ashamed to be on the public dole and would do almost anything to avoid that stigma. People unable/unwilling to properly house, cloth, feed their children would lose them to the state or they would be placed with other relatives until the parents were willing and capable of doing that. But because it was so socially unacceptable to be in that situation, most adults found ways to support themselves and their families. Being poor was no shame. Being a freeloader was.

Now parents who are alcoholic or druggies or in whatever bad situation and cannot or will not take care of their children are put on welfare and the kids are left in that very destructive environment. Many won't ever escape it leading to generations of damaged, irresponsible, 'useless' people. (Useless meaning a drag on society instead of being a contributor to it.)

A return to basic human values that most Americans once shared would do wonders to right a ship that is very wrong in that regard.

/-----/ That was my generation. When I set out on my own. I took any menial job I could find to rent a studio apartment and put food on the table while I looked for better opportunities. Ramen noodles weren't a thing back in the 70s, but PBJ, baloney, and store-brand canned fish and meats were enough so I never went hungry. I could get day old bread and other bakery items for about ten cents (1972)

Within a year, I found better work and upgraded my lifestyle.

 

[Dragonlady]

Keep that shiite in Canada. I am not responsible for everybody else's health care, I take care of myself, and am in good shape for a man of near 60. I am not paying for those who sit around and get morbidly obese, smoke, drink, and take no care of theirs.

You pay $12,000 a year for your health insurance, whether you use it or not. That's over and above your taxes.

I pay $0, over an above my taxes for health insurance. My total health expenses last year were under $500. They were only that high because I got new glasses. This year, I'm getting new dentures, so I've already spent $300.

Who is truly getting screwed here? The guy who pays $12,000 a year for a health insurance policy, and is in good health, but who thinks he isn't paying for "somebody else's health insurance", or the woman who's pays less in taxes than YOU do, and those taxes include her health insurance.

 

[Dragonlady]

There was a time when most Americans felt ashamed to be on the public dole and would do almost anything to avoid that stigma. People unable/unwilling to properly house, cloth, feed their children would lose them to the state or they would be placed with other relatives until the parents were willing and capable of doing that. But because it was so socially unacceptable to be in that situation, most adults found ways to support themselves and their families. Being poor was no shame. Being a freeloader was.

Now parents who are alcoholic or druggies or in whatever bad situation and cannot or will not take care of their children are put on welfare and the kids are left in that very destructive environment. Many won't ever escape it leading to generations of damaged, irresponsible, 'useless' people. (Useless meaning a drag on society instead of being a contributor to it.)

A return to basic human values that most Americans once shared would do wonders to right a ship that is very wrong in that regard.

There was a time when companies paid a living wage to workers, but that time is LONG GONE. It ended when Ronald Reagan destroyed the American union movement.

The Republican Party has only raised the minimum wage ONCE since 1981. That was in 2008, as the economy was crashing. Their answer to higher prices was to increase GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE to workers.

A return to paying living wages to workers would END the need for working Americans need for government programs to feed their families.

Stop blaming PEOPLE because the government is giving their earnings to the billionaires.

 

[Cellblock2429]

You pay $12,000 a year for your health insurance, whether you use it or not. That's over and above your taxes.

I pay $0, over an above my taxes for health insurance. My total health expenses last year were under $500. They were only that high because I got new glasses. This year, I'm getting new dentures, so I've already spent $300.

Who is truly getting screwed here? The guy who pays $12,000 a year for a health insurance policy, and is in good health, but who thinks he isn't paying for "somebody else's health insurance", or the woman who's pays less in taxes than YOU do, and those taxes include her health insurance.

/—/ You pay through your income tax. BTW:

“42,000 Canadians come to the United States for care” – Really?

pnhp.org

 

[Dragonlady]

/-----/ That was my generation. When I set out on my own. I took any menial job I could find to rent a studio apartment and put food on the table while I looked for better opportunities. Ramen noodles weren't a thing back in the 70s, but PBJ, baloney, and store-brand canned fish and meats were enough so I never went hungry. I could get day old bread and other bakery items for about ten cents (1972)
View attachment 1111449
Within a year, I found better work and upgraded my lifestyle.

Kraft Dinner and hotdogs to pay the mortgage when my first marriage ended. But things were MUCH different then. I paid $52,500 for that 3 bedroom house in a good neighborhood. My brand new car cost me less than $5000. My housekeeper/nanny cost me $50 a week (a deal even then).

Child care is now $275 per week per child. My 3 bedroom bungalow now sells for more than $500,000, and even a new Honda Civic is over $34,000.

Instead of longing for a past which is NEVER coming back, start looking at how Republicans have screwed over working Americans, destroying the working and middle class to benefit the wealthy.

Stop blaming poor people for being poor, and realize this is the exact outcome that Republicans have been shooting for all of these years. The rich getting richer.

 

[Cellblock2429]

Kraft Dinner and hotdogs to pay the mortgage when my first marriage ended. But things were MUCH different then. I paid $52,500 for that 3 bedroom house in a good neighborhood. My brand new car cost me less than $5000. My housekeeper/nanny cost me $50 a week (a deal even then).

Child care is now $275 per week per child. My 3 bedroom bungalow now sells for more than $500,000, and even a new Honda Civic is over $34,000.

Instead of longing for a past which is NEVER coming back, start looking at how Republicans have screwed over working Americans, destroying the working and middle class to benefit the wealthy.

Stop blaming poor people for being poor, and realize this is the exact outcome that Republicans have been shooting for all of these years. The rich getting richer.

/----/ "Instead of longing for a past which is NEVER coming back"
I'm not. Looking back doesn't mean I'm longing for it.

"start looking at how Republicans have screwed over working Americans, destroying the working and middle class to benefit the wealthy.
And how exactly have we done that?

"Stop blaming poor people for being poor,"
I never have, and never will. Because, poverty is a state of mind. It has nothing to do with a lack of money.

"The rich getting richer."
It's because they are smart with their money. You'd prefer the rich to be poor?

You have nothing except strawman arguments with no facts to back them up.

 

[Dragonlady]

/----/ "Instead of longing for a past which is NEVER coming back"
I'm not. Looking back doesn't mean I'm longing for it.

"start looking at how Republicans have screwed over working Americans, destroying the working and middle class to benefit the wealthy.
And how exactly have we done that?

"Stop blaming poor people for being poor,"
I never have, and never will. Because, poverty is a state of mind. It has nothing to do with a lack of money.

"The rich getting richer."
It's because they are smart with their money. You'd prefer the rich to be poor?

You have nothing except strawman arguments with no facts to back them up.

Nothing in your post has any semblance of economic reality.

There isn't enough band width to list all of the ways that Republicans have screwed over working Americans but 4 economic crashes in the past 100 years is the BIGGEST reason why working Americans are so poor.

 

[Cellblock2429]

Nothing in your post has any semblance of economic reality.

There isn't enough band width to list all of the ways that Republicans have screwed over working Americans but 4 economic crashes in the past 100 years is the BIGGEST reason why working Americans are so poor.

/——/ “There isn't enough band width to list all of the ways that Republicans have screwed over working Americans”
Translation: Dragonlady has nothing but hyperbole.

 

[Frankenstein]

You pay $12,000 a year for your health insurance, whether you use it or not. That's over and above your taxes.

I pay $0, over an above my taxes for health insurance. My total health expenses last year were under $500. They were only that high because I got new glasses. This year, I'm getting new dentures, so I've already spent $300.

Who is truly getting screwed here? The guy who pays $12,000 a year for a health insurance policy, and is in good health, but who thinks he isn't paying for "somebody else's health insurance", or the woman who's pays less in taxes than YOU do, and those taxes include her health insurance.

No I do not pay 12,000 a year, your taxes are much higher than mine. I do not want higher taxes to pay for someone else's

 

[Foxfyre]

/-----/ That was my generation. When I set out on my own. I took any menial job I could find to rent a studio apartment and put food on the table while I looked for better opportunities. Ramen noodles weren't a thing back in the 70s, but PBJ, baloney, and store-brand canned fish and meats were enough so I never went hungry. I could get day old bread and other bakery items for about ten cents (1972)
View attachment 1111449
Within a year, I found better work and upgraded my lifestyle.

Yep. For reasons unimportant to go into now, hubby and I had a rough time financially in those early years, especially when our first child arrived less than a year from our wedding making it difficult to help support the family. There were many times we hocked my accordion to afford groceries when the paycheck didn't reach to the end of the week or the car was in the shop or whatever. What made it bearable is most of us among our friends were in that situation and we often pooled our resources--one would bring a pound or two of pinto beans, one a sack of potatoes, one some hamburger and we mixed it all together for a hearty meal while playing cards all day. Our parents were in no position to help either.

It never occurred to us that it was anybody's responsibility but ours to take care of ourselves though. There was no welfare. No food stamps. Sometimes there was government cheese available to those who wanted to go get some, but that was about it.

By the time our kids were school age we were doing much better. By the time they were in high school we were solidly in the middle class, owned our home, had a savings account and money left over to help others. Never through all that did we feel like life was unfair to us in any way. And as you mentioned, we might not have eaten high on the hog but we didn't go hungry and we made sure our children did not do without anything they really needed.

A nation that makes people dependent instead of encouraging self reliance does them no favors whatsoever.

 

[Independent thinker]

I agree though it's tough to say who qualifies as able-bodied. Blacks will say they have a sore back and who knows if it's true or not? Blacks will steal from whites anyway they can and see nothing wrong with doing so.

Pretty much most of the time it's not true. It's just like marijuana. When you have medical marijuana laws it is absolutely amazing how many young college kids have bad backs. It's an epidemic.

Also, I'll have to give my ex-wife some credit. She worked and often had a bad back. She didn't even go to one of those "pain specialist" doctors but her very own regular doctor offered to give her a note in order to collect disablity and not have to work anymore. Fortunately she was too proud to do that and turned him down because she knew she could still work.

 

[leftwinger]

I see you are relatively new to USMB, so I will excuse the misrepresentation.
Representative Brittany Pettersen stated that a disproportionate number of people on Medicaid are struggling with addiction. However, claiming that all Medicaid recipients are addicts is an extreme exaggeration and can be categorized as a blatant falsehood.

A closer look at Medicaid statistics reveals that individuals on Medicaid who are unemployed are not the primary issue. The greater concern lies with those who are employed but still qualify for Medicaid. Many of these individuals hold very low-paying jobs, receive financial support from family members, or have undisclosed sources of income or assets. This reality highlights the complex economic struggles that many Medicaid recipients find themselves.

Right Flipper. What’s 10% fraud of a trillion? Nothing to see here sayeth the coastal commee WASH Stain.

 

[Dragonlady]

/——/ “There isn't enough band width to list all of the ways that Republicans have screwed over working Americans”
Translation: Dragonlady has nothing but hyperbole.

Ok, let's just do a short list:

• 4 economic crashes since 1929.
• The last 3 crashes - all since 1980, benefitted the wealthy and impoverished the working and middle class
• Reagan's destruction of the union movement, starting with the Air Traffic Controllers union
• Reagan promised that all workers would get a raise when unions were gone and they were free to negotiate their wages based on their abilities. Workers are still waiting for the promised raise.
• Republicans raised the US minimum wage once in the last 40 years. In total there have been9 increases in the federal minimum wage since 1980
• Republicans slashed workers rights with "right to work" laws which further eroded wages and benefits for workers
• Republicans increased "earned income credits" instead of raising the minimum wage. EIC's increased worker dependence on government programs, and acted as a wage subsidy for the USA's most profitable corporations
• EIC's forced the working and middle class taxpayers, who were getting no raises, to subsidize your most profitable corporations. Then they blamed Democrats for screwing the middle class.
• Republicans wrote and passed the banking deregulation, gutting the protections put in place after the Great Depression, which lead directly to the Housing Bubble and the 2008 Economic Crash
• Republicans gave tax breaks to corporation moving their manufacturing off shore
• Large corporations forced suppliers to offshore manufacturing in order to reduce prices

That takes us up to 2008. Things have only gotten worse under a fiscally incompetent President who has gone bankrupt 6 times.

 

[Dragonlady]

Right Flipper. What’s 10% fraud of a trillion? Nothing to see here sayeth the coastal commee WASH Stain.

Except that the largest cases of Medicaid Fraud are being perpetrated by Big Medicine, not poor people trying to get care for their families.

The largest case of Medicaid Fraud involved Senator Rick Scott of Florida. Why is it that so many of Trump's people have felony criminal records????

 

[Dragonlady]

No I do not pay 12,000 a year, your taxes are much higher than mine. I do not want higher taxes to pay for someone else's

No, my taxes are NOT higher than yours.

Maximum Tax Rates​

In 2024, Canada’s top federal income tax rate is 33%, while the US’s top federal rate is 37%. However, when combining federal and provincial/state taxes, Canadians often face higher marginal rates across various income levels.

Canada vs. US Taxes: Complete 2026 Comparison

Complete 2026 Canada vs US tax comparison for American expats. Updated rates, FEIE exclusion limits, Foreign Tax Credit strategies, and expert filing guidance.

www.greenbacktaxservices.com

Note that this quote makes no mention that our tax rates include UNIVERSAL HEALTH INSURANCE. Our taxes are no different that yours, except that YOU have to buy health insurance with your net income, and we don't.

That means you're paying on average $12,000 per year for health insurance and we are not.

Canada vs. US Taxes: Complete 2026 Comparison

Complete 2026 Canada vs US tax comparison for American expats. Updated rates, FEIE exclusion limits, Foreign Tax Credit strategies, and expert filing guidance.

www.greenbacktaxservices.com

Whatever you're paying for health insurance, or whatever your employer is paying for your health insurance, is still money out of YOUR pocket - money that would otherwise come to you as wages.

We get to keep and spend that $12,000, raising our standard of living immeasurably.

Congratulations on not paying for somebody else's health care. So economically STUPID of you.

 

[Meathead]

Except that the largest cases of Medicaid Fraud are being perpetrated by Big Medicine, not poor people trying to get care for their families.

The largest case of Medicaid Fraud involved Senator Rick Scott of Florida. Why is it that so many of Trump's people have felony criminal records????

Look dingbat, if you in Canada want to trade off your financial independence and the tax payers' money for subsidizing free loaders that your business, but ffs, don't sanctmoniously tell others they must do the same.

 

[initforme]

That is what Foster Care is for.

Imagine if the birth rate slips down to below 1 child per woman. All problems solved.

 

[leftwinger]

Except that the largest cases of Medicaid Fraud are being perpetrated by Big Medicine, not poor people trying to get care for their families.

The largest case of Medicaid Fraud involved Senator Rick Scott of Florida. Why is it that so many of Trump's people have felony criminal records????

The main topic was phony disability at the start of the thread. Since you are all over, it is difficult?

 

[Dragonlady]

Look dingbat, if you in Canada want to trade off your financial independence and the tax payers' money for subsidizing free loaders that your business, but ffs, don't sanctmoniously tell others they must do the same.

We also give out OHIP cards to anyone legally entering Canada. You come here on a student visa, you get a health insurance card with your welcome package and you get taxpayer funded health insurance coverage the whole time you're here. They're also handed out with landed immigrants cards, or refugee cards too.

We're NOT subsidizing "freeloaders". YOU ARE. 1/3 of your "healthcare dollars" are spent on "administration" - billing and paperwork, not health care. The largest department in any American hospital, is the accounting department. Those costs are passed on to the consumer, and those people are doing NOTHING to improve your health or well being.

Losing $12,000 a year in income in order that you don't pay for some "freeloaders" or immigrants, personifies the concept of "picking up the peanuts while being trampled by the elephants."

Our administration costs are 7%. Some European nations are paying less than 5% in Administration. I have a retired American friend whose was a registered nurse who never saw a patient. Her job was to obtain insurance approvals for care. Her job doesn't exist here.

My PCP's receptionist prepares and submits his monthly OHIP bill. The nurses and therapists on staff are seeing patients and doing billable services for patients. Few people require pre-approvals for ANYTHING medical except new or experimental treatments, or some very expensive drugs. Your doctor sets your care plan, not the insurance company.

There are no co-pays - they're illegal. There is also no paperwork. I give them my OHIP card, they swipe it, check my address, phone number, next of kin, please take a seat. That's it, unless it's a lab or a pharmacy, and I have a requisition/prescription from my doctor, in which case I give it to them.

Did I mention that Canadians live LONGER than Americans. And you're in poorer health than any other nation in the G20.