General Discussion

gelsdorf

(240 posts)

75. I live in Western Pa

Mon Feb 24, 2014, 10:04 AM

Feb 2014

and I used to service grocery stores in Pa and East Ohio. WOW!!!! The stupid is very strong there. The towns look like a war movie set, a full set of teeth is a rarity, yet they praise the Repukes and Raygun!! Unreal!!! I have a friend who is laid off, UE bennies run out in March, yet he is pro-Rethug because, wait for it, he might be rich one day!!!! Give me a break! I've known him AND his family for over 40 years, and it ain't happening. But that is the propaganda that they bought into. I'm on SSDI, and I hear about it all of the time that I am a taker. Great, lets trade places, you take my pain, but no, not an option, you can still do something. Of course, he lives in the strong area of the Greensburg Tribune-Review, a tea-bag rag of a paper owned by Richard Scaife of Heritage Foundation fame. That is an issue also

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Why do the poor and uninsured refuse to sign up for Obamacare? [View all] Redfairen Feb 2014 OP

There are many people that even $10/mo extra means something else has to give. hobbit709 Feb 2014 #1

10 dollar is 2-3 gallons of milk. i think alot of people think that way leftyohiolib Feb 2014 #55

Or 2-3 gallons of gas to drive to work... Wounded Bear Feb 2014 #137

There don't seem to be many on DU who understand what having *no* money is like Fumesucker Feb 2014 #2

i saw posts suggesting poor folks get a second job. oy. KG Feb 2014 #3

Or they go on a diet of beans for a year. Empathy abound here. nt adirondacker Feb 2014 #79

I agree it is lack of understanding. There is a good willl wish but no reality check lunasun Feb 2014 #9

Definitely agree shaayecanaan Feb 2014 #46

Many (myself included) view insurance as a scam PowerToThePeople Feb 2014 #60

Insurance isn't a scam. It's gambling. Xithras Feb 2014 #123

Which is why insurance is the wrong model for healthcare dreamnightwind Feb 2014 #198

+1 TexasTowelie Feb 2014 #201

Well said, Famesucker. I have found that those who have never done without just live in a reality DesertDiamond Feb 2014 #61

I see this attitude over and over here. ladyVet Feb 2014 #209

Do you remember those old DU polls about members' incomes QC Feb 2014 #109

Yes. Yes. Yo_Mama Feb 2014 #144

+1 brazilion Myrina Feb 2014 #126

+1 liberal_at_heart Feb 2014 #136

+++ Hardly a day goes by without some Egalitarian Thug Feb 2014 #147

And many others who have convinced themselves that ACA is actually health care Doctor_J Feb 2014 #159

I have noticed that 30cal Feb 2014 #195

Welcome to DU! Fumesucker Feb 2014 #203

K&R.... daleanime Feb 2014 #4

You are citing Megan McArdle? Shivering Jemmy Feb 2014 #5

Even our political enemies can speak the obvious truth. Redfairen Feb 2014 #15

There is no "truth" in the OP, but thanks ProSense Feb 2014 #146

It's also a choice between the abstract and the concrete. Turbineguy Feb 2014 #6

I can't figure out what else I can cut to pay the premium. antiquie Feb 2014 #69

I suspect Turbineguy Feb 2014 #139

What did they say when you called?? cbdo2007 Feb 2014 #141

They might be like me................ mrmpa Feb 2014 #7

This^^^ nt Mnemosyne Feb 2014 #35

That's our situation as well independentpiney Feb 2014 #53

+1000. I'm taking my kid to the doctor today. Pretty sure she has atypical pneumonia. winter is coming Feb 2014 #103

This is the reallity for many in red states. CottonBear Feb 2014 #129

I was just on the gov. site DocMac Feb 2014 #131

Tom Corbett is about to to be unemployed, hopefully PA Medicaid expansion is soon to follow... Hippo_Tron Feb 2014 #165

yep. so i guess we get fined for being poor. and get work cut below 30hrs/wk TheFrenchRazor Feb 2014 #187

I couldn't afford it , I wanted to 30cal Feb 2014 #197

I don't qualify for ACA. ladyVet Feb 2014 #210

If your living on the street and homeless newfie11 Feb 2014 #8

If you are living on the streets and homeless you can go to your local DPSS and sign up. bravenak Feb 2014 #128

Glad to know it's easier than I thought for them newfie11 Feb 2014 #207

Why the Hell not just give them care if we want to give them care? bemildred Feb 2014 #10

Because that would cut out the insurance companies nt MannyGoldstein Feb 2014 #22

Exactly, The ACA is a for profit Insurance racket Heather MC Feb 2014 #26

"Our country only sees us as commodities" zeemike Feb 2014 #41

...and disposed of after being used! nt TexasTowelie Feb 2014 #202

We don't want to give them care. We want to sell them insurance. winter is coming Feb 2014 #110

Money? Just a wild guess. merrily Feb 2014 #11

why do people have to sign up by March? santroy79 Feb 2014 #12

The idea is that uninsured people have been costing society money by merrily Feb 2014 #13

"Free" care in the ER? Where do you live? raven mad Feb 2014 #32

I am currently being sued by the ER doc who treated my daughter (the 500 dollar bill became Ed Suspicious Feb 2014 #72

Jesus... shaayecanaan Feb 2014 #80

They did make her drink a charcoal slurry of some sort, but yeah, charcoal, water and observation. Ed Suspicious Feb 2014 #89

If neeed in future - 840high Feb 2014 #124

And how my in network hospital is staffed by out of network Doctors is beyond my comprehension. Ed Suspicious Feb 2014 #91

Where were you during the 2008 Presidential campaign, when merrily Feb 2014 #199

then you could wait until you're sick to sign up alc Feb 2014 #66

Because insurance only works when the healthy are paying. jeff47 Feb 2014 #111

The ACA is a first step, when will we start seeing some action on the next step? nm rhett o rick Feb 2014 #171

States can go single-payer or public option in 2018. (nt) jeff47 Feb 2014 #176

Yes but we can guess how well that will go over. What is the next step nationally? rhett o rick Feb 2014 #191

To advance it in blue states. jeff47 Feb 2014 #194

By March 15th. DocMac Feb 2014 #133

There are those that can't afford even the smallest premium and those that want it to fail Thor_MN Feb 2014 #14

Anyone applying for Food Stamps demwing Feb 2014 #16

That's how it is done in Oregon, where our website does not work at all! Bluenorthwest Feb 2014 #42

I agree it's what we need to continue to push for davidpdx Feb 2014 #17

Ever been down to your last dime? liberal N proud Feb 2014 #18

Some may not like being tracked Uben Feb 2014 #19

single payer is no cure quaker bill Feb 2014 #20

it will lower costs a shitload more than that shaayecanaan Feb 2014 #47

+1 newfie11 Feb 2014 #62

Healthcare costs in mandatory insurance systems are about the same as in single-payer systems. bornskeptic Feb 2014 #127

Theres a world of difference between Obamacare and the Swiss system shaayecanaan Feb 2014 #162

Primary care is non-profit only in these systems grahamhgreen Feb 2014 #189

OK then quaker bill Feb 2014 #170

But its funded from general tax revenues shaayecanaan Feb 2014 #196

There is no free lunch quaker bill Feb 2014 #205

remember shaayecanaan Feb 2014 #206

OK then, tell us the real cure. Redfairen Feb 2014 #56

A different social contract entirely quaker bill Feb 2014 #173

Paying for it via taxes lets you use graduated taxes. jeff47 Feb 2014 #113

The subsidy does more quaker bill Feb 2014 #179

It's the same whether you call it a subsidy or not jeff47 Feb 2014 #181

exactly, so why do they not sign up? quaker bill Feb 2014 #214

There's another difference jeff47 Feb 2014 #215

Wait, you mean "single payer" won't be magically free for everyone?? lol cbdo2007 Feb 2014 #142

If you connect it to a large increase in minimum wage quaker bill Feb 2014 #169

o.....m.....g Doctor_J Feb 2014 #143

Simply stunning, isn't it? n/t Egalitarian Thug Feb 2014 #148

It is not the cure for having too little money quaker bill Feb 2014 #168

You could boost that to 97%, which is what Medicare operates at Doctor_J Feb 2014 #175

But single payer does not fix thar quaker bill Feb 2014 #182

Oh, the Party Faithful don't want to hear that here. Le Taz Hot Feb 2014 #21

+1000 hobbit709 Feb 2014 #24

This^ antiquie Feb 2014 #96

Seriously. ladyVet Feb 2014 #211

Dunno lancer78 Feb 2014 #212

Right. Le Taz Hot Feb 2014 #213

"What if you just don't have that money?" raven mad Feb 2014 #23

Answer: Le Taz Hot Feb 2014 #27

Exactly. It's a no-win situation. raven mad Feb 2014 #29

This is not true for all of us. antiquie Feb 2014 #76

Oh, jesus! Le Taz Hot Feb 2014 #90

Oh gosh, I've over-reacted, sorry. antiquie Feb 2014 #99

I re-read what I wrote Le Taz Hot Feb 2014 #102

They live in a state that refused to expand Medicaid? retread Feb 2014 #25

Even in states where medicaid was expanded Le Taz Hot Feb 2014 #28

Not true. ProSense Feb 2014 #63

Uh-oh. The PUMAs on this board don't want to hear that. BlueCaliDem Feb 2014 #83

It's hate. When RW distortion (How to kill Obamacare) ProSense Feb 2014 #84

Yeah, I'm a right-winger Le Taz Hot Feb 2014 #94

I totally agree. It's amazing how much hate the word "Obama" can conjure BlueCaliDem Feb 2014 #114

Who's a PUMA? Le Taz Hot Feb 2014 #87

No. The acronym stands for "Party Unity My Ass". BlueCaliDem Feb 2014 #115

Yes, I know what it stands for Le Taz Hot Feb 2014 #118

Yeah. That's because I just explained it to you. BlueCaliDem Feb 2014 #174

The "transcendence" is purely in the mind Le Taz Hot Feb 2014 #185

Here's an idea - if you want party unity, try acting like Dems Doctor_J Feb 2014 #180

Which has NOTHING to do with what I posted. Le Taz Hot Feb 2014 #92

It has everything to do with what you "posted" ProSense Feb 2014 #93

No, actually, I don't. Le Taz Hot Feb 2014 #95

If you've never understood blind loyalty I recommend you read "The Authoritarians." rhett o rick Feb 2014 #217

PS, FUD and wingers have been using the word "many" to obfuscate your point.. many could mean uponit7771 Feb 2014 #154

+1 uponit7771 Feb 2014 #152

Winger position - no concrete evidence on "many" just conjecture uponit7771 Feb 2014 #151

***************SCREW FACTS!!!!!!!*************** uponit7771 Feb 2014 #150

Well - subtract the roughly 50% of the poor Ms. Toad Feb 2014 #30

yep. TheFrenchRazor Feb 2014 #188

The tax penalty wasn't created to incent people who don't pay taxes. JoePhilly Feb 2014 #31

time and money magical thyme Feb 2014 #33

Why do the poor and uninsured refuse to sign up for Obamacare? Snarkoleptic Feb 2014 #34

maybe they can't put down their moonshine jugs shaayecanaan Feb 2014 #49

Poor people generally don't have cable. svpadgham Feb 2014 #82

So, poor people aren't signing up Le Taz Hot Feb 2014 #106

I know 2 types of people who haven't signed up. hollowdweller Feb 2014 #36

Message auto-removed Name removed Feb 2014 #37

uh... shaayecanaan Feb 2014 #64

"change the law so doctors and hospitals can refuse service to anybody who doesn't have insurance" winter is coming Feb 2014 #98

The first group gets covered by the escalating fine. jeff47 Feb 2014 #117

I copied and printed this out: "Being poor is knowing exactly how much everything costs." a kennedy Feb 2014 #38

Enrollment penalties are not harsh enough. karadax Feb 2014 #39

pfft Coyote_Bandit Feb 2014 #57

I don't understand how a state can be so stupid as to.... Walk away Feb 2014 #107

ACA is federal law with Coyote_Bandit Feb 2014 #192

This is a Glenn Reynolds hit piece actually entitled How Americans can kill ObamaCare azurnoir Feb 2014 #40

You're right. My whole point is that our enemies also speak the truth. Redfairen Feb 2014 #51

I agree about single payer azurnoir Feb 2014 #70

The ACA is how we get to single payer. jeff47 Feb 2014 #119

I tried to sign up maindawg Feb 2014 #43

At where I live a big reason the poor don't sign up is doc03 Feb 2014 #44

I live in Western Pa gelsdorf Feb 2014 #75

The guy is a Republican and accepts UE from the govment, imagine that. n/t doc03 Feb 2014 #157

The mayor of the nearest big city catrose Feb 2014 #45

On that deductible jeff47 Feb 2014 #120

Thanks. I'll check into that. eom catrose Feb 2014 #218

Now, I've seen it all. ProSense Feb 2014 #48

I'm in the process of signing up and here's my experience so far... 1awake Feb 2014 #50

Really? OKNancy Feb 2014 #100

My family is not small lol 1awake Feb 2014 #104

Ironically, the ACA is helping single payer in Vermont... shaayecanaan Feb 2014 #52

That's actually the long-term plan. jeff47 Feb 2014 #121

People with "no money" qualify for Medicaid treestar Feb 2014 #54

Haha, you're funny. Fully half of all states refuse to expand Medicaid. Redfairen Feb 2014 #67

Also, some states, like mine, require that you have children to get Medicaid. GoCubsGo Feb 2014 #78

Not true. I speak from experience. GoCubsGo Feb 2014 #86

How about simple inertia? SheilaT Feb 2014 #58

Dental Services Are Coming Back For California's Low-Income Adults ProSense Feb 2014 #59

Why haven't they signed up? ReRe Feb 2014 #65

I worked for a while in a homeless shelter back in the late '90s deutsey Feb 2014 #68

In the "red" states, the message is the problem,mainly from the Healthcare.gov site itself. I live.. dmosh42 Feb 2014 #71

Because although they are poor, and uninsured, they are NOT stupid Demeter Feb 2014 #73

Uninsurance Rate Falls To Five-Year Low As 3.3 Million Enroll In Obamacare ProSense Feb 2014 #74

I have a close relationship with the Free Clinic in our area. NCTraveler Feb 2014 #77

Seeing it in my own family: Suspicion. mainer Feb 2014 #81

Hate radio and Fox "News" are telling them not to. Doctor_J Feb 2014 #85

There is a reality that the media and commentators continue to miss BumRushDaShow Feb 2014 #88

When you are on a tight budget there's just no money for Autumn Feb 2014 #97

same reason they don't vote, and btw fuck Megan McArdle she's a fact-challenged idiot nt geek tragedy Feb 2014 #101

here is wisconsin it is just silly dembotoz Feb 2014 #105

I'm not even "poor" and I'd have a hard time affording it. sir pball Feb 2014 #108

the poor are not signing up because 2pooped2pop Feb 2014 #112

That was one of the questions people asked from the beginning. But try to explain sabrina 1 Feb 2014 #116

Had a bang your head on the wall discussion with a friend of my mother... JCMach1 Feb 2014 #122

Because a 60% copay & $6k deduc is NOT "affordable"? Myrina Feb 2014 #125

Gee, if only someone could have foreseen this kind of thing... Egalitarian Thug Feb 2014 #130

I have been told by some, it is because the fine is cheaper than the insurance. Tuesday Afternoon Feb 2014 #132

I suspect there are many on the cusp with major job insecurity, afraid of committing to the monthly hlthe2b Feb 2014 #134

If, by poor, you mean Medicaid eligible, it's because so many states refused to expand. n/t pnwmom Feb 2014 #135

I asked this same question over a week ago. BKH70041 Feb 2014 #138

Most of those poor would get free health insurance after the credits.... cbdo2007 Feb 2014 #140

What are some of the reasons that people aren't signing up in NM? rusty fender Feb 2014 #145

they probably just don't know they are eligible. Part of ACA signup is to locate underserved librechik Feb 2014 #149

For the most part the poor are eligible for things like Medicaid and Medicare. I for instance cannot jwirr Feb 2014 #153

A large number probably have been turned off by Faux News & the RW onslaught against Obamacare. stopbush Feb 2014 #155

I disagree with the premise of this thread. It is not a "tiny percentage" BlueStreak Feb 2014 #156

I have been assured many times on DU that the "penalty" is toothless and not a serious threat Fumesucker Feb 2014 #172

It is -- in tax year 2014. But it goes up every year. BlueStreak Feb 2014 #186

For many, they would be hard-pressed to use the insurance Jackpine Radical Feb 2014 #158

I can't speak for the rest of the country, bvar22 Feb 2014 #160

Dear Bvar, it isn't FREE Demeter Feb 2014 #161

"Enrollment" in the Medicaid Expansion is FREE, bvar22 Feb 2014 #163

I am dumbfounded to understand why the Admin isnt pushing this. rhett o rick Feb 2014 #178

because Rush tells then not to and they don't/can't think for themselves. Auntie Bush Feb 2014 #164

Just to irritate you... Lost_Count Feb 2014 #166

why did you quote this article dsc Feb 2014 #167

NO $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ democratisphere Feb 2014 #177

We need single payer more than ever tnlefty Feb 2014 #183

I have poor people around me Quayblue Feb 2014 #184

The sign up process is long & convoluted. My GF tried to sign up over a few days and wound up grahamhgreen Feb 2014 #190

poor conservatives Bartleby73 Feb 2014 #200

Lest anyone forget... 2naSalit Feb 2014 #204

Most of the people I meet that qualify for the new Medicaid expansion.. Walk away Feb 2014 #208

The only one of my friends eligible, but not signing up (& his wife) Bonx Feb 2014 #216