Wow, interesting topic:

I have never been on any public assistance my whole life - even when my husband left, was on unemployment and did receive a dime in child support.

But (of course you knew that was coming)

When Chris started have his sx's - I first took him to a neurologist which cost me $150 (Chris was unemployed at the time) he said to take him to our county hospital's ER because the tests that were going to be necessary would break me.

Well, a year 1/2 later Chris is on disability and medicaid. I feel almost guilty that he has no out of pocket expenses for medications/doctors/hospitals, but I don't know what other alternatives there were - I sure couldn't afford these expenses and I feel so sorry for you that have insurance and have to come up with so much of the costs, it just doesn't see fair.

Vic, this is one really deep discussion.

As always in discussions such as this it makes me so sad and angry that the USA can not completely take care of their own 100%. It is always about money.

As far as a national question. IF you (the patient) are in the category to financially need government assistance for you and for your family to live, then I feel that people should take advantage of the system.

If the family is able to afford the private insurance, then that should be the focus. Even if that means some adjustments must be made in the family budget as long as the needed items are not sacrificed.

I just had my bathroom toilet area reconstructed due to the fact that I "may" need a wheelchair again one day and that I want to be able to deal with the toilet in my own home without much to do. I am aware that there are insurance deals that might have paid for all or part of this if I were already in the wheelchair, BUT I don't want to wait months and months at that time and fight for something that I can afford to take care of now. I know this is not the question you are debating, but it is a statement about our responsibility as people, patients, and patrons of our country. You do what you can when you can.

Responsibility. I think that is the key word to your discussion. How responsible are you to take care of yourself.

My brain keeps spinning here. I'm going to sign off, before I totally change the discussion!!!

Peace!

I understand that guilty feeling. I am (was) like Chris. I wasn't working, just finished full time school and ready to get married before sx's hit me. I was in the process of trying to get an affordable insurance when I started having trouble, it was optic neuritis.

Every insurance company I tried refused coverage because of what they considered pre-exsiting conditions. (I hadn't got a dx yet) I paid close to $6,000 in less than 3 months for Drs. appointments, MRI, spinal tap...anything that it took for a dx. It wasn't until I got a dx that the it was suggested to me to try to get assistance with the county hospital. (btw, same hospital and dr. that Chris went to)

It wasn't something that I wanted to do. I hated having to ask, the entire process made me feel ashamed and helpless. But I didn't have a choice. Dh is considered self employed and although he makes decent money, there was no way we could continue to pay for everything ourselves and still have a place to live. I wish I had insurance, I wish I could afford to pay for it all, I wish I wasn't sick...but I don't, can't and am so I push my pride to the side and do what I have to. I would rather work 60 hours a week and be dead tired because of the work than to be exhausted from just making the bed.

I don't quite understand, I've never heard medicare classified as government assistance.. It's not a need based program, it's for people who've paid into it and are disabled or 65 & older.

Do you refuse Social security benefits too when you are eligible for those??

Just wondering, this is all a very new concept for me. I've worked since I was 15, never received a penny of any 'assistance', and doing fairly well for myself, but this classifying Medicare as 'public assistance' is a very new concept that I haven't heard of. I looked at Medicare's website and it mentions that individuals are automatically signed up for it at 65. Maybe I'm confusing Medicare with the other 'assistance' like medicaid, prescription assistance, free care programs, etc that are available and are need based.... FYI - also Medicare reimburses providers a certain amount based on DX, procedures, etc, which is a lot less than what others pay also. Just confused here.

I'll quickly answer your question, Vic. I hope never to be financially poor enough to NEED public assistance and MediCAID. I've worked with people who did have to use these programs and they really are a nightmare!

Right now I'm not rich or poor. We're solidly middle class. I have decent medical insurance, but I couldn't afford my co-pay for Tysabri (over 800/month) so I stopped it. I have a mortgage and bills, so the medication had to take a backseat. I'm not extravagant and never have been, although I did have a "shoe problem" at one time. ;).

I'm all for investigating a more social insurance program like the ones in Canada and Europe, and I pray hard that I never have to know what it's like to be truly poor.

Soooo on that note, no, I would not make myself financially unstable so that I could take advantage of the public programs.

My focus is on the following:
Is it ethical/legitimate for a person with a positive net income at the end of the year but who can hide the assets legally, to take governmental assistance?

-Vic

Amen To That!!!:)