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In the US, we make services used by the poor inconvenient and ineffective in order to (ahem) motivate people to not be poor. Lousy results are to be expected f

In the US, we make services used by the poor inconvenient and ineffective in order to (ahem) motivate people to not be poor. Lousy results are to be expected for that segment of the population.

DoofusOfDeath 8y ago
That strikes me as an overly simplistic view, largely because it implies a unity of motivation across the various persons involved in U.S. healthcare policy-making and delivery. If you're sure of your statement, it would be helpful to cite some supporting evidence.
- rectang 8y ago
  The best example is work requirements for Medicaid as implemented by some states (Kentucky for one), which end up making it difficult to stay eligible for Medicaid.
endymi0n 8y ago
Motivate? Most definitely yes. Equip? Not at all. The American Dream (especially that pesky part about "opportunity") died long ago. If you're born with a chronic condition such as diabetes or your parents can't afford an education giving you the chance of a decently paying job, better go die. That being said, just looking at the raw numbers I'd dare to say that health care in the US is just about as inconvenient and ineffective for rich people as it is for poor...
- blattimwind 8y ago
  The American Dream reduced to eugenics steered by capitalistic market fitness?
- carlmr 8y ago
  >If you're born with a chronic condition such as diabetes or your parents can't afford an education giving you the chance of a decently paying job, better go die. This has always been the case. Most of these people just died before while today we have methods to keep them alive.
- SkyMarshal 8y ago
  Rektang was being facetious with that comment, as tipped off by the “(ahem)”, implying the real reason we make services for poor inaccessible so they won’t be able to use them and thus drive up costs for them.
  - rectang 8y ago
    That's part of it. But there are other factors at work including political concerns -- for example in exempting rural majority-white counties in Kentucky from Medicaid work requirements while imposing them full-force on urban majority-black counties.

In the US, we make services used by the poor inconvenient and ineffective in order to (ahem) motivate people to not be poor. Lousy results are to be expected for that segment of the population.

DoofusOfDeath 8y ago

That strikes me as an overly simplistic view, largely because it implies a unity of motivation across the various persons involved in U.S. healthcare policy-making and delivery. If you're sure of your statement, it would be helpful to cite some supporting evidence.

rectang 8y ago
The best example is work requirements for Medicaid as implemented by some states (Kentucky for one), which end up making it difficult to stay eligible for Medicaid.

endymi0n 8y ago

Motivate? Most definitely yes. Equip? Not at all. The American Dream (especially that pesky part about "opportunity") died long ago. If you're born with a chronic condition such as diabetes or your parents can't afford an education giving you the chance of a decently paying job, better go die. That being said, just looking at the raw numbers I'd dare to say that health care in the US is just about as inconvenient and ineffective for rich people as it is for poor...

blattimwind 8y ago
The American Dream reduced to eugenics steered by capitalistic market fitness?
carlmr 8y ago
>If you're born with a chronic condition such as diabetes or your parents can't afford an education giving you the chance of a decently paying job, better go die. This has always been the case. Most of these people just died before while today we have methods to keep them alive.
SkyMarshal 8y ago
Rektang was being facetious with that comment, as tipped off by the “(ahem)”, implying the real reason we make services for poor inaccessible so they won’t be able to use them and thus drive up costs for them.
- rectang 8y ago
  That's part of it. But there are other factors at work including political concerns -- for example in exempting rural majority-white counties in Kentucky from Medicaid work requirements while imposing them full-force on urban majority-black counties.