The U.S. social safety net would be jolted if the budget bill backed by President Donald Trump and passed Thursday by the House of Representatives becomes law.
It would require many low-income adults to work to receive Medicaid health insurance coverage and more to work to get food assistance, require hospitals to verify the citizenship status of patients, and cut funding for services like birth control to the nation’s biggest abortion provider.
Supporters of the bill say the moves will save money, root out waste and encourage personal responsibility.
A preliminary estimate from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said the proposals would reduce the number of people with health care by 8.6 million over the decade.
Yeah, fuck this.
I don’t recognize this president and admin. It is illegal. Eos
Work requirements defeat the purpose of having any sort of welfare which I guess is the point (to be cruel). It won’t be the first time they’ve pursued this, though.
When I was in university one of my profs told a story about a similar situation. The gov’t wanted to trim the budget so figured they should use workfare (people on social assistance/welfare must work at whatever job the gov’t gives them).
Unfortunaltely whoever was in charge decided that two older men, both lifelong alcoholics, should drive a tractor around a produce field to pick up the harvest. One of old guys ended up running over his buddy (both were drunk at the time).
It had been recommended that the program differentiate between those capable of working without constant supervision and those who couldn’t … but the higher ups ignored it.
So if we are too sick to leave the house to find work, we’ll be SOL?
Yes, that is the goal.
The food assistance one is especially dumb because it is already set up so that if you work they reduce the amount of food assistance you get, based on your income. So forcing work requirements in tandem with the existing rules will do nothing but reduce access.
Of course, that’s the point. They only “save” money if they are reducing the amount spent, and work requirements will absolutely reduce the amount going out.
Although I would argue the bureaucratic overhead required to check on employment status will offset most of the savings.
It probably makes too much sense to say anyone that applies gets it and if your next tax return shows you didn’t actually need it then you have to pay it back.
At least I can always self immolate at my family cemetery plot. Less distance for them to move my corpse and such.
