Coming from someone who was on medicaid AND food stamps I find it a little unfair to say that it is only for the people who don't want a job (or even the majority) or for people who only need a fix on drugs like oxy, soma, norco, suboxone, etc. Sometimes health insurance isn't provided from your employer or if so they SUCK (CVS part-time benefits where available) and you can't use them effectively anyway if you do get sick. And even if people abuse the system, there are still other people who need medicaid and foodstamps; regardless of whatever product or service you are talking about, the challenge of any market or system is to find ways to reduce the inevitable damage from someone who WILL find a way to take advantage of the system for their own benefit over others. It doesn't matter the case. And while a lady is "popping out kids," the children are not responsible for the actions of their mother so they shouldn't be punished; while you could argue that the mother shouldn't get coverage, if she dies or is sick then the children will be an even bigger "burden" on the state than before because they would be placed in the foster system and more money than the medicaid would be spent on them, while destroying lives in the process.
There was a good posting on a blog that I like I'll post here for you. I'm sure we've all seen Drug Nazi/Monkey somewhere but for the people who haven't:
http://drugmonkey.blogspot.com/2010/08/republican-welfare-queen-poised-to.html
I've had similar points but he puts it more eloquently. If you are worried about the tax money being paid out because of people on medicaid, then you obviously aren't as concerned about other issues taking out government money. Healthcare fraud, non-compliance related medical expenditures including hospital visits (which you see in people with "normal" health insurance as well) and the like take up A LOT more money than someone b*itching about how the state is "cheaping out" because they got fluticasone rather than the brand. Yes, I am of the opinion that you should be thankful for what you get and that the state is willing to help you live. I get angry when patients come in and act like they are entitled to everything. However, you cannot blame a system as a whole because of the faults of the people using it.
I work insurance now and have my own health insurance. And doing auto/property insurance, the beliefs and actions of people are no different than that in a pharmacy. People assume the system works one way and no matter what training you have, Betty from work knows more because she knew a friend who got into a fender bender "that one time in Jersey." They also believe the system is flawed because it doesn't work the way they want to, despite the fact that billions of dollars in underwriting guidelines were created to abide by federal and 50 state laws while trying to reduce costs for customers. Working in retail, insurance, pharmacy, whatever the job people are going to be ignorant and have a sense of entitlement. You can let it bother you, or just accept that some people will never better themselves and pity them for living in a perpetual ignorance.
If you look at other countries, Medicaid equivalents are the norm and private health insurance isn't as common as in America. If you look at the UK they have a budget every year to pay for their citizens and then they balance the deficit to a zero balance at the end of the year. Are those people also a burden on the country for using something provided by the government?
If you guys have a better idea to take care of people who can't take care of themselves, without increasing the federal deficit more than what it is projected to be now, while not sacrificing the overall quality of other programs citizens need, then I'm all ears.
I have a whole long rant on this very topic that spans how people view socialized things like medicaid vs library systems and fire departments and etc. but I have a genetics test tomorrow which I should be studying for now.
To be continued....bum bum BUMMMMMMMM