Current Events > Michigan looking to impose work requirements on welfare, but not in rural areas

(+) Yeah! (+)

https://www.freep.com/story/opinion/columnists/nancy-kaffer/2018/05/01/medicaid-work-requirements-gop/569760002/

Michigan Sen. Wayne Schmidt (R-Traverse City) represents Cheybogan County, where unemployment is high, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics: around 20.9% in February. Schmidt also represents Chippewa County, where unemployment was about 10.5% that month.

But unlike Medicaid recipients elsewhere in Michigan, the residents Schmidt represents are unlikely to be harmed by SB 897, a piece of legislation the senator co-sponsored. Approved by the state Senate on party lines last week, the bill would require recipients of Medicaid to prove they work 30 hours a week to retain their health-care coverage.

That 2.5 million Michiganders nearly a quarter of our state's population receive health care coverage through traditional Medicaid or the Healthy Michigan Medicaid expansion, and that 60% of adult Medicaid recipients who aren't disabled are working, and that requiring working adults who live in poverty to document what may be sporadic or seasonal work hours presents a significant hardship, don't seem to make no nevermind to Schmidt and his Republican colleagues in the state Senate.

And it's just one of the gross things about this bill, which is widely expected to pass both the House Appropriations Committee, which is scheduled to take it up Wednesday, and the full chamber.
...
The bill's Senate sponsors admit that this proposal isn't about saving money; in fact, it'll cost about $30 million a year to administer the program.

It's pitched, instead, as a firm-but-gentle hand to those who've become dependent on the teat of government dependency. In the benevolent scenario articulated to Lansing news service Gongwer by GOP lawmakers like Shirkey and Senate Majority Leader Arlan Meekhof (R-West Olive), it's a push toward the path of self-sufficiency, and insurance that the state has the resources to help those who really need it.

hmm
---

This just in, Republicans are evil, hypocritical bigots .
---

I feel like rural areas would be where you'd actually find "welfare queens".
---

boy i wonder what the distribution of black and white welfare recepients are among rural and urban Michiganers.
---

"the GOP is not a racist organization"
---

please don't refer to medicaid as welfare
---

KILBOTz posted...

boy i wonder what the distribution of black and white welfare recepients are among rural and urban Michiganers.

Michiganders.
And its pretty even, speaking from experience.
---

meestermj posted...

KILBOTz posted...

boy i wonder what the distribution of black and white welfare recepients are among rural and urban Michiganers.

Michiganders.
And its pretty even, speaking from experience.

according to census data, michigan is 15% black and has 10 million ppl

detroit is 85% black and has like 650,000 people

roughly 1/3 black people in michigan live in Detroit alone. less than 1 in 100* white michiganders live in detroit

the urban rural divide here can't possible be almost even based on that alone
---

Dammit, Michigan.
---

Balrog0 posted...

meestermj posted...

KILBOTz posted...

boy i wonder what the distribution of black and white welfare recepients are among rural and urban Michiganers.

Michiganders.
And its pretty even, speaking from experience.

according to census data, michigan is 15% black and has 10 million ppl

detroit is 85% black and has like 650,000 people

roughly 1/3 black people in michigan live in Detroit alone. less than 1 in 100* white michiganders live in detroit

the urban rural divide here can't possible be almost even based on that alone

A good portion of the white population is in northern Michigan. Lansing and above.
KZoo, Berrien County, Cass, Flint area all have either a higher black population or a relatively even split.
Even dowagiac has a pretty even split now.

To be fair that about sums up the areas I've been to (berrien and cass counties, bettie sprigs, grand Rapids, Detroit, Kalamazoo, dowagiac, niles, cold water, and a few others along the southern half).
---

literally pitting poor people against each other for political gain

thatsnotinthesouth
---

What if the requirement was volunteer work rather than wage work?
---

Damn_Underscore posted...

What if the requirement was volunteer work rather than wage work?

Lol, good luck with that.
---

Balrog0 posted...

meestermj posted...

KILBOTz posted...

boy i wonder what the distribution of black and white welfare recepients are among rural and urban Michiganers.

Michiganders.
And its pretty even, speaking from experience.

according to census data, michigan is 15% black and has 10 million ppl

detroit is 85% black and has like 650,000 people

roughly 1/3 black people in michigan live in Detroit alone. less than 1 in 100* white michiganders live in detroit

the urban rural divide here can't possible be almost even based on that alone

My city is probably about 15%-20%. I remember the block I grew up had it's patches of hispanics, whites & blacks and we'd all go to a field nobody used inbetween the houses to play football. That shit was really good for teaching me people are people regardless.
---

I'm shocked.
---

gatorsPENSbucs posted...

Damn_Underscore posted...

What if the requirement was volunteer work rather than wage work?

Lol, good luck with that.

What do you mean?
---

gatorsPENSbucs posted...

Damn_Underscore posted...

What if the requirement was volunteer work rather than wage work?

Lol, good luck with that.

it does allow volunteer work

http://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/2017-2018/billengrossed/Senate/pdf/2018-SEBS-0897.pdf


---

Damn_Underscore posted...

gatorsPENSbucs posted...

Damn_Underscore posted...

What if the requirement was volunteer work rather than wage work?

Lol, good luck with that.

What do you mean?

If they arent working to make money, theres no chance in hell theyll do volunteer work.
---

Imagine having to work for something...crazy concept I know.
---

scorpion41 posted...

Imagine having to work for something...crazy concept I know.

If it's such a great concept why are certain areas being exempt from it
---

The 30 hour requirement is unfair. If someone could get a 30 hour-a-week job, they probably wouldn't need Medicaid.

But I think a volunteer work requirement (not 30 hours) wold be beneficial to everyone.
---

MorbidFaithless posted...

This just in, Republicans are evil, hypocritical bigots .

---

Damn_Underscore posted...

If someone could get a 30 hour-a-week job, they probably wouldn't need Medicaid.

people actually believe this
---

Doom_Art posted...

scorpion41 posted...

Imagine having to work for something...crazy concept I know.

If it's such a great concept why are certain areas being exempt from it

Easier to find a job in the city than outside of it. Thats why people migrated to them historically.
---

They're not even trying to hide it anymore.
---

Doom_Art posted...

scorpion41 posted...

Imagine having to work for something...crazy concept I know.

If it's such a great concept why are certain areas being exempt from it

Because rural areas don't have the population density to support the model.

Why is everything about skin color for some one you. Oh yeah that's right you're racists.
---

Balrog0 posted...

Damn_Underscore posted...

If someone could get a 30 hour-a-week job, they probably wouldn't need Medicaid.

people actually believe this

Like, do people even understand how low Michigans minimum wage is?
How low the median income is?
How few jobs are actually available due to crumbling infrastructure and economy?
How shitty the government of Michigan treats Michiganders?
How high the cost of health care plans is there?
Cost of living vs income?

Michgan is a shithole and the entire state needs a government bailout and a return of industry.
---

0atmealcreampie posted...

Why is everything about skin color for some one you. Oh yeah that's right you're racists.

L I B E R A L S A R E T H E R E A L R A C I S T S
I
B
E
R
A
L
S
A
R
E
T
H
E
R
E
A
L
R
A
C
I
S
T
S
---

What percentage of medicaid recipients are single mother households? Also, a 30 hour a week requirement is difficult for people in poverty. There are only so many low skilled jobs, they typically dont provide 30 hours a week, and balancing two or more jobs is difficult both for aforementioned lack of availability and because inconsistent hours and scheduling put those jobs at odds with each other. Its all pretty fucking stupid.
---

shockthemonkey posted...

Balrog0 posted...

Damn_Underscore posted...

If someone could get a 30 hour-a-week job, they probably wouldn't need Medicaid.

people actually believe this

Yeah its scary, I have a full time day job plus I work nights at a second job and my insurance would be taking an insane percentage of my money if it wasnt subsidized.

My sister and her husband both have very good jobs (middle class I'd say. For Michigan at least) and it's still to a point where they were better off paying the yearly health care penalty than paying for healthcare.
---

EnragedSlith posted...

What percentage of medicaid recipients are single mother households? Also, a 30 hour a week requirement is difficult for people in poverty. There are only so many low skilled jobs, they typically dont provide 30 hours a week, and balancing two or more jobs is difficult both for aforementioned lack of availability and because inconsistent hours and scheduling put those jobs at odds with each other. Its all pretty fucking stupid.

it exempts people with dependent children tbf
---

What % of people who use Medicaid have a 30+ hour-a-week job?
---

requiring working adults who live in poverty to document what may be sporadic or seasonal work hours presents a significant hardship

How is this a "hardship"?

scorpion41 posted...

Imagine having to work for something...crazy concept I know.

Its not that theyre being required to work its that the law is being applied in what seems like a racial divide.
---

Nomadic View posted...

scorpion41 posted...

Imagine having to work for something...crazy concept I know.

Its not that theyre being required to work its that the law is being applied in what seems like a racial divide.

Occam's Razor probably applies here.
"So, the state is already divided into counties, right? Let's use those for our metrics."

Lol, they admit it wont even save money. Jesus fucking Christ.
---

Average cost of living in Michigan:
Rent, utilities, food, car insurance, gas all included.
Comes out to est $1700.
Assuming a 2 bedroom apartment. Houses are far worse.
Minimum wage in MI is $9.25.
That's roughly $1300 per month on a single income. $2600 if you're a dual income house.

Now imagine a family of two parents and three kids. Those costs skyrocket (food, utilities, rent/mortgage for a larger place, dental and doctor costs for three kids, toiletries, etc).

It's entirely untenable in the current state to buy private health care, leaving Medicaid as the only option
And that's all assuming 37.5 paid hours per week, which a lot of employers refuse to give to avoid giving out fulltime benefits.
---

Damn_Underscore posted...

What % of people who use Medicaid have a 30+ hour-a-week job?

I dunno most people on Medicaid who work work in industries where their hours can fluctuate as much as 50% between pay periods

2/3 work some hours

of that 2/3, 70% work more than 1000 hours a year, which is a little more than 20 hours a week

dunno about 30
---

KiwiTerraRizing posted...

Lol, they admit it wont even save money. Jesus fucking Christ.

This is the truly dumbassed part of the whole deal.
Righteous indignation is not a good justification for legislation.

they just need to get better jobs then

/s

Questionmarktarius posted...

This is the truly dumbassed part of the whole deal.

if you ever see a work requirement, you should just assume it is going to cost more than it saves. because that is how it always is. like drug testing recipients of TANF and SNAP
---

meestermj posted...

And that's all assuming 37.5 paid hours per week, which a lot of employers refuse to give to avoid giving out fulltime benefits.

29. Obamacare set the "full time" threshold at thirty hours.

Questionmarktarius posted...

meestermj posted...

And that's all assuming 37.5 paid hours per week, which a lot of employers refuse to give to avoid giving out fulltime benefits.

29. Obamacare set the "full time" threshold at thirty hours.

Even worse. That cuts the income so far down its pathetic.
And did I mention the cost of childcare?
Fucking Michigan.
---

Balrog0 posted...

Questionmarktarius posted...

This is the truly dumbassed part of the whole deal.

if you ever see a work requirement, you should just assume it is going to cost more than it saves. because that is how it always is. like drug testing recipients of TANF and SNAP

At the very least, it really does create jobs, for the nepotistic bureaucrats who do nothing but push paper all day at prevailing wages and a sweet pension.

treewojima posted...

literally pitting poor people against each other for political gain

Thats been the gop plan since Nixon. If you pit the poor against each other they'll never realize that the real ones fucking them over are the rich.
---

Questionmarktarius posted...

At the very least, it really does create jobs, for the nepotistic bureaucrats who do nothing but push paper all day at prevailing wages and a sweet pension.

not really. that was more true of the welfare reform bill in 1996 because it provided specific kinds of funding for specific kinds of supports.

at least in my experience researching this newest batch of work requirements, the biggest benefits are going to subcontractors that manage IT systems the state uses to monitor and manage these cases
---