Until the health care issue is solved…the welfare issue will not be solved!

 No one that qualifies for welfare, can afford to take a low skilled or minimum wage job because they lose their healthcare when the do.  Many companies avoid paying healthcare benefits by hiring only part time workers or just don’t offer insurance at all.  That means if a person chooses to work for one of these companies, they have to pay for insurance out of pocket.  If my memory serves me, in Texas, anyone who makes more than $6000.00 per year cannot qualify for welfare/Medicaid. How can any unskilled worker afford to put food on the table and pay insurance premiums if they choose to work making more than $500.00 per month?  They just can’t survive!!  

 Additionally, why is the burden of insurance placed on the back of business?  For businesses that provide Benefits, they pay big bucks to provide health insurance to their workers.  This places a competitive disadvantage on companies when they try to compete with overseas companies that don't pay for health care coverage.  Perhaps this can be a huge motivator for a company to move overseas…. where they don’t have to pay for insurance.   

 Why do we even need insurance companies in the middle of healthcare?  They only serve as a middleman, driving up cost….and if you want to talk about rationing care….well my insurance denies/limits coverage for all kinds of services, including which doctors I can see; unless I want to pay more.  Their mission is certainly not to ‘provide’ healthcare.  No!  It is to make profits!  Seems like there are plenty of things for them to insure in order to make profits:  boats, homes, cars, Betty Grable’s legs.  *wink*  

Can anyone tell me what exactly is the function of insurance companies in providing healthcare to our nation?  We spend more per capita for healthcare than any other developed nation and yet our morbidity and mortality outcomes are worse!!  

Of course there are some that abuse the welfare system, but that can and should be fixed!  But for millions of good people in the country, that have fallen on hard times…..welfare/Medicaid is a safety net that helps them get by.  

But my main point is:  In this country, when a person loses a good job, they lose their healthcare coverage as well, which pushes people into the welfare system.  That person might be able to put food on the table by getting a lesser paying job….but they can’t afford insurance for healthcare if that lesser job doesn’t provide insurance!  The current employer paid insurance system is not only bad for business, but it incentivizes welfare. 

PS:  And don't even get me started on the people who can't qualify for welfare....but don't have insurance through their job, nor do they buy insurance and just freeload on taxpayers by showing up in the ER when they get sick expecting to be treated.

Until the health care issue is solved…the welfare issue will not be solved!

 No one that qualifies for welfare, can afford to take a low skilled or minimum wage job because they lose their healthcare when the do.  Many companies avoid paying healthcare benefits by hiring only part time workers or just don’t offer insurance at all.  That means if a person chooses to work for one of these companies, they have to pay for insurance out of pocket.  If my memory serves me, in Texas, anyone who makes more than $6000.00 per year cannot qualify for welfare/Medicaid. How can any unskilled worker afford to put food on the table and pay insurance premiums if they choose to work making more than $500.00 per month?  They just can’t survive!!  

 Additionally, why is the burden of insurance placed on the back of business?  For businesses that provide Benefits, they pay big bucks to provide health insurance to their workers.  This places a competitive disadvantage on companies when they try to compete with overseas companies that don't pay for health care coverage.  Perhaps this can be a huge motivator for a company to move overseas…. where they don’t have to pay for insurance.   

 Why do we even need insurance companies in the middle of healthcare?  They only serve as a middleman, driving up cost….and if you want to talk about rationing care….well my insurance denies/limits coverage for all kinds of services, including which doctors I can see; unless I want to pay more.  Their mission is certainly not to ‘provide’ healthcare.  No!  It is to make profits!  Seems like there are plenty of things for them to insure in order to make profits:  boats, homes, cars, Betty Grable’s legs.  *wink*  

Can anyone tell me what exactly is the function of insurance companies in providing healthcare to our nation?  We spend more per capita for healthcare than any other developed nation and yet our morbidity and mortality outcomes are worse!!  

Of course there are some that abuse the welfare system, but that can and should be fixed!  But for millions of good people in the country, that have fallen on hard times…..welfare/Medicaid is a safety net that helps them get by.  

But my main point is:  In this country, when a person loses a good job, they lose their healthcare coverage as well, which pushes people into the welfare system.  That person might be able to put food on the table by getting a lesser paying job….but they can’t afford insurance for healthcare if that lesser job doesn’t provide insurance!  The current employer paid insurance system is not only bad for business, but it incentivizes welfare. 

PS:  And don't even get me started on the people who can't qualify for welfare....but don't have insurance through their job, nor do they buy insurance and just freeload on taxpayers by showing up in the ER when they get sick expecting to be treated.

To quote Dakata “So the news station sent a reporter to the local unemployment office to see if people (Americans) would take the job.  A large amount said they were not interested while a few said they would try but would not stay.  No one, and I mean no one was interested in the job long term.  Tomatos rotted in the fields and we all paid more.  Guess who's back picking the tomatos?”

I seem to remember this story and yes there were hurdles and no one planned for the immediate effect of the immigration law. One point that does not seem to be raised is that LEGAL immigrants were still available for work; it is the ILLEGAL workers we have issue with. Additionally, we could have made welfare recipients required to take these jobs or prisoners for that matter.

I personally do not think enough time was given to see this new law through. First off it should be a nationwide law. At the end of the day, most of the farmers did NOT raise wages so Americans did not come. Why should farmers and plant owners expect people to take a back-breaking seasonal job with low pay and no benefits just because they happen to be offering it? If no one wants an available job—especially in extreme times—maybe the fault doesn’t rest entirely with the people turning it down. Maybe the market is inefficient. At some point wages would have to be raised and the costs passed through to the consumer which they would be able to absorb because they were earning more money.

I read this article and found this comment interesting. “Tom Surtees is tired of hearing employers grouse about their lazy countrymen. “Don’t tell me an Alabamian can’t work out in the field picking produce because it’s hot and labor intensive,” he says. “Go into a steel mill. Go into a foundry. Go into numerous other occupations and tell them Alabamians don’t like this work because it’s hot and it requires manual labor.” The difference being, jobs in Alabama’s foundries and steel mills pay better wages—with benefits. “If you’re trying to justify paying someone below whatever an appropriate wage level is so you can bring your product, I don’t think that’s a valid argument,”

I have also owned many types of business through the years. In the 80’s I owned a lawn and landscape company. I had no problem hiring Americans. Yes, I had a few green card holders work for me from time to time and yes I was able to pay them less but I still went through employees as this is the nature of the business. I also had a swimming pool service company in the 90’s and had no problem hiring Americans. Both businesses were menial work and neither paid much above minimum wage. I had large turnovers but again this is just part of the business. So to say that the people who were looking to get hired as pickers were not interested in staying long term-to that I say SO WHAT!  

Thanks for your response this makes things fun. Another reason to love America-freedom of speech.
I agree we need to get rid of the unions as they are costing compnies too much money. My father was a union worker all his life but it seems the unions have grown since then and not in a good way.

To quote Dakata “So the news station sent a reporter to the local unemployment office to see if people (Americans) would take the job.  A large amount said they were not interested while a few said they would try but would not stay.  No one, and I mean no one was interested in the job long term.  Tomatos rotted in the fields and we all paid more.  Guess who's back picking the tomatos?”

I seem to remember this story and yes there were hurdles and no one planned for the immediate effect of the immigration law. One point that does not seem to be raised is that LEGAL immigrants were still available for work; it is the ILLEGAL workers we have issue with. Additionally, we could have made welfare recipients required to take these jobs or prisoners for that matter.

I personally do not think enough time was given to see this new law through. First off it should be a nationwide law. At the end of the day, most of the farmers did NOT raise wages so Americans did not come. Why should farmers and plant owners expect people to take a back-breaking seasonal job with low pay and no benefits just because they happen to be offering it? If no one wants an available job—especially in extreme times—maybe the fault doesn’t rest entirely with the people turning it down. Maybe the market is inefficient. At some point wages would have to be raised and the costs passed through to the consumer which they would be able to absorb because they were earning more money.

I read this article and found this comment interesting. “Tom Surtees is tired of hearing employers grouse about their lazy countrymen. “Don’t tell me an Alabamian can’t work out in the field picking produce because it’s hot and labor intensive,” he says. “Go into a steel mill. Go into a foundry. Go into numerous other occupations and tell them Alabamians don’t like this work because it’s hot and it requires manual labor.” The difference being, jobs in Alabama’s foundries and steel mills pay better wages—with benefits. “If you’re trying to justify paying someone below whatever an appropriate wage level is so you can bring your product, I don’t think that’s a valid argument,”

I have also owned many types of business through the years. In the 80’s I owned a lawn and landscape company. I had no problem hiring Americans. Yes, I had a few green card holders work for me from time to time and yes I was able to pay them less but I still went through employees as this is the nature of the business. I also had a swimming pool service company in the 90’s and had no problem hiring Americans. Both businesses were menial work and neither paid much above minimum wage. I had large turnovers but again this is just part of the business. So to say that the people who were looking to get hired as pickers were not interested in staying long term-to that I say SO WHAT!  

Thanks for your response this makes things fun. Another reason to love America-freedom of speech.
I agree we need to get rid of the unions as they are costing compnies too much money. My father was a union worker all his life but it seems the unions have grown since then and not in a good way.