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Marge Simpson did not have an income. Is supporting a family of 5 on a $25,000 income possible in the US? Let's at least adjust for inflation since 1995, and Ho

Marge Simpson did not have an income. Is supporting a family of 5 on a $25,000 income possible in the US? Let's at least adjust for inflation since 1995, and Homer's wages would amount to $42,000. Since they all had their own bedrooms, they'd need a 4 bedroom home (assume Maggie still sleeps with Marge & Homer). The author is in Michigan. Let's choose Flint to simulate having a Nuke in the back yard. A 4 bedroom home in Flint (not in the 'lead zone', Marge would never allow it) is minimum $200,000. Payments on a mortgage at 3% are about $800/mo. Monthly Expenses: $800 Mortgage $300 property tax $700 food for 5 $150 clothes (the kids are growing, need shoes annually, need diapers for Maggie...) $300 Auto expenses (used car, maintenance, insurance, gas) $2,250/month so far. That covers the basics and leaves $16,000! But what about health insurance? (gulp) What are the odds that Homer's $20/hr. job includes fully paid health insurance for his family of 5? Let's give a little benefit and say at least it covers Homer as the employee (a stretch, yes?). His employer would require him to pay for his 3 kids and wife. Grampa is on Medicare/Medicaid + social security. So he's on his own... To calibrate for the rest of the family... Hmm... Healthcare.gov says that marketplace plans are not available in Homer's county. And, according to eHealth.com, Homer doesn't qualify for 'savings'. So, it's off to Healthcare.gov, which requires an account, so I'll stop there. From recent personal experience, the most basic plans run $1,500/month and have deductibles that would bankrupt Homer. Lower deductibles would put the premiums out of reach. I think he is out of cash at this point.

flubert 6y ago
I've been having a lot of fun on Zillow today. How about TWO houses on 5.5 acres? $90,000 https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/300-Highland-Rd-Sturgis-KY-42459/115474824_zpid/ https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/300-Highland-Rd-Sturgis-K...? $89,900 for a five bedroom https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/2901-Mcclellan-Blvd-Anniston-AL-36201/109371387_zpid/ https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/2901-Mcclellan-Blvd-Annis... $99,900 for a four bedroom https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/623-Ben-Hur-Ave-Knoxville-TN-37915/41643411_zpid/ https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/623-Ben-Hur-Ave-Knoxville...
rufus_foreman 6y ago
>> And, according to eHealth.com, Homer doesn't qualify for 'savings'. He doesn't make enough, 42K/year is below 138% of the poverty line for a family of five (barely). So it looks like instead they would be eligible for Healthy Michigan which is part of expanded Medicaid. That income limit is based on MAGI (how appropriate!) so if they were slightly over, they could work around it. And even if they were over the limit, the limits for CHIP are higher so they could make more and still have coverage for the kids. Looks like he would be eligible even with insurance from work, that coverage would be primary. Total cost of premium/co-pays limited to 5% of income. This was enacted around 2013 so people with that income today would be way better off than a similar family in the 1990s as far as health care goes. The problem isn't a 42K income in Flint, the problem is there aren't enough jobs in Flint that pay $20 an hour, the median household income is around $29K.

flubert 6y ago

I've been having a lot of fun on Zillow today. How about TWO houses on 5.5 acres? $90,000 https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/300-Highland-Rd-Sturgis-KY-42459/115474824_zpid/ https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/300-Highland-Rd-Sturgis-K...? $89,900 for a five bedroom https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/2901-Mcclellan-Blvd-Anniston-AL-36201/109371387_zpid/ https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/2901-Mcclellan-Blvd-Annis... $99,900 for a four bedroom https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/623-Ben-Hur-Ave-Knoxville-TN-37915/41643411_zpid/ https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/623-Ben-Hur-Ave-Knoxville...

rufus_foreman 6y ago

>> And, according to eHealth.com, Homer doesn't qualify for 'savings'. He doesn't make enough, 42K/year is below 138% of the poverty line for a family of five (barely). So it looks like instead they would be eligible for Healthy Michigan which is part of expanded Medicaid. That income limit is based on MAGI (how appropriate!) so if they were slightly over, they could work around it. And even if they were over the limit, the limits for CHIP are higher so they could make more and still have coverage for the kids. Looks like he would be eligible even with insurance from work, that coverage would be primary. Total cost of premium/co-pays limited to 5% of income. This was enacted around 2013 so people with that income today would be way better off than a similar family in the 1990s as far as health care goes. The problem isn't a 42K income in Flint, the problem is there aren't enough jobs in Flint that pay $20 an hour, the median household income is around $29K.