A D V E R T I S E M E N T
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
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Thousands of Oregonians have signed up for a shot at the state’s health plan standard benefit package.
During the past week, 33,365 people have added their names to the list that gives them a chance to enroll in the health plan. It was the second week that the state Department of Human Services was accepting names for the plan.
New enrollment for the Oregon Health Plan’s standard coverage has been closed since July 2004. In March, the state will select 3,000 names randomly from the list and allow them to apply for the program. If they meet eligibility standards, they could be added to the plan.
“The high number of reservations is the best evidence we have of the great demand for health insurance,” said Jim Edge, state medicaid director in the Department of Human Services. “Although it’s impossible to know how many of these people are eligible for the Oregon Health Plan’s standard coverage, these are people who have no health insurance and consider themselves to be low-income.”
For the past two weeks, people who could be eligible for the plan have been encouraged to call a 1-800-699-9075 or 503-378-2666 (in Salem) and sign up. The first confirmations will be mailed Wednesday, Feb. 6, to people whose names have been entered on the reservation list.
Edge said people who cannot get through on the phone line can add their names to the reservation list other ways, which will be open through Feb. 29. They can submit a reservation list request form online at www.oregon.gov/DHS/open/request-form.shtml , or they can send a hard copy of the request form to the agency.
The reservation list opened Jan. 28 with a massive public relations campaign. Across the state, more than 200 outreach centers – county health departments, hospitals, tribal and safety net health clinics and other sites that deliver medical care to health plan clients – will help people get on the reservation list or complete a health plan application.
The health plan’s standard benefit package covers physician services, prescription drugs, chemical dependency and mental health services, emergency medical services and limited dental, hospital and vision benefits. People on the plan pay monthly premiums of up to $20 depending on income and number in their households.
The Oregon Health Plan-Plus is always open to people who are elderly, blind, disabled, children under age 19, pregnant women and recipients of temporary assistance for needy families payments.
I better get on the list!
(email verified)
Mon, Feb 04, 2008 at 05:00 AM
well how about DHS making the ALL Mexicans on the Oregon Health Plan PROOVE that they are us citizens especially since mexicans CONSUME almost 70% of the slots alreay taken....
(email verified)
Mon, Feb 04, 2008 at 05:01 AM
I was in a car accident a year ago.. I went to sign up for Oregon Health plan and was given the run around so i ended up having to go to a couple diffrent times to 2 diffrent offices i was Finally told the only way i could get on OHP was is I was Disabled..or Over 55 Or pregnant....i looked around and remembered ...that i had seen and watched several Hispanic men picking up stupp and talking to the workers.... i agree where is the INS even more so in agreement was the fact on every visit i was the only if not 1 of 2 non hispanic people in the whole waiting room I think as the licence requirement goes the health plan should too
(email verified)
Mon, Feb 04, 2008 at 05:11 AM
most doctors offices will not touch the oregon health plan unless forced to do so. good luck once you get on the list.
(email verified)
Mon, Feb 04, 2008 at 05:14 AM
Insurance?! You are poor, what have you got to lose?
Certainly not your miserable life.
(email verified)
Mon, Feb 04, 2008 at 05:23 AM
Are people who are convicted felons, currently on parole or probation, lazy able bodied twenty somethings, drug addicts or refusing to use birth control eligible? Just curious.
(email verified)
Mon, Feb 04, 2008 at 05:39 AM
Will the names of the people who will be benifiting from MY/OUR/YOUR tax dollars be made public record? still curious.
(email verified)
Mon, Feb 04, 2008 at 05:42 AM
Ummm...wow. Brilliant comments. Really. Brilliant.
(email verified)
Mon, Feb 04, 2008 at 07:21 AM
Previous Arizona resident.
Want to see what it cost to administer care to the undocumented. Look at Arizona hospitals. Most rural hospitals are going bankrupt and the main city hospitals are overwhelmed while also facing spiraling upward costs.
Not that health care should be with held from those who need it, but the United States taxpayer cannot be expected to keep footing this expense.
(email verified)
Mon, Feb 04, 2008 at 07:51 AM
WOW, not everyone on the Oregon Health plan is just using the system. I was on Oregon Health Plan when I was pregnant with my daugther. I was a single mom and I worked full time! I pay my taxes and I should be allowed to use these services! My sister is diabetic and has 2 children and she doesn't qualify because she's not pregnant! But a friend of mine didn't work ,had 2 kids and she and both her kids were covered! I think that people with an INCOME shouldn't be treated bad for getting help, esp when a lot of minimum wage or sales jobs don't have health benefits... If you're gonna be pissed, get mad at the people abusing the system. Not those of us that work hard to provide but just can't do it without a little help (I wish they just wouldn't take the taxes in the first place, then I wouldn't need as much help, thank you!)
(email verified)
Mon, Feb 04, 2008 at 08:25 AM
I'm glad to hear that not everyone on the system is abusing it.
(email verified)
Mon, Feb 04, 2008 at 08:28 AM
Wow,
Here is a no joke. I have literally come into contact with people, via my job, who arrive in this state on a Friday and on Monday they sign up for Oregon Health Plan and Oregon Trail. How about the lady I stood behind at Winco who used Oregon Trail and then left the lot in a Cadillac Escalade. No joke. How about the lady that left Safeway in a new Dodge Magnum complete with custom wheels after using her Oregon Trail. These are not exceptions to the rule.
And Tiffany, I highly doubt your tax-dollar contributions to the OHP covered your pre-natal and delivery costs. If in fact you are minimum wage or nearly so, you don't pay much if any taxes. If you are at that income level, as many people are, then there is a reason that is not the fault of the tax paying public. Here is a clue. If you have to seek government money for your pregnancy, you probably should not be pregnant. Believe it or not, that is an abuse of the system.
That may seem jaded or crass but that is reality. If one needs OHP, WIC or Oregon Trail assistance to raise there children then they probably should not be having kids. There are the exceptions that most tax-payers do not mind. For instance short term assistance for job loss or retraining. But only short term as was the original concept. I don't care if a person is white, black or hispanic. If the tax-payer has to support you and your children then stop having them.
(email verified)
Mon, Feb 04, 2008 at 08:42 AM
If the Portland Tribune cared an iota about its credibility as a publication, they'd get someone to moderate the comments and clean up these troll droppings. Or they would remove the comment option altogether.
(email verified)
Mon, Feb 04, 2008 at 09:50 AM
Don't be penny wise and pound foolish! If you are fed up with government handouts, focus on the Iraq War, or the military. Bush's budget for next year is $3.1 trillion!! The OHP is nothing in the grand scheme of things.
(email verified)
Mon, Feb 04, 2008 at 10:50 AM
I say lets get a couple hundred of the folks who are on the list and train them so they can look after those of us who have no health care. How hard is that? Of course they will all the supplies the hospitals have and more to look after our fellow Americans. I would love to be among the ones helping others because I love people.
(email verified)
Mon, Feb 04, 2008 at 10:58 AM
This is such crap, I'm so sick and tired of paying for welfare queens. Ya i make six figures, i also pay six figures in taxes so all that crap about Bush tax cuts helping the rich is not true. I can swallow paying for Americans who honestly need help, i cannot however deal with illegal aliens (yes thats what they are read a law book)or those who live off the system their whole lives. My relatives didn't die for this country to have it be a welfare state for people not even granted rights under the law of the land, the Constitution. Illegal Aliens are crippling this country along with irresponsible fiscal policy and an unmanageable foreign policy from the current Bush administration.If we deny the incentive (health care, jobs, services, etc.) the desire for illegals to come here will be removed. For those who are here, they need to pack their bags and head home for good, or get in the back of the immigration line. Yes we are a country of immigrants, my family immigrated here generations ago, but they did i legally at Ellis Island. Illegals should be embarrassed.
(email verified)
Mon, Feb 04, 2008 at 12:34 PM
GIMME GIMME GIMME......... The ESDLS spill into the free feeding pig trough!
Tom Peterson always said...."Free Free is a very good deal".....well he went broke!
So now the state thinks they can do what he did and not!
(email verified)
Mon, Feb 04, 2008 at 12:39 PM
HEY, Disgusted by Loser Racist Scum,
Have you ever heard of the 1st Amendment?
With yours and the Times editing out what they do not want us to read, I'm suprised that we still have a 1st Amendment!
Liberalism is a Mental Disorder...Micheal Savage
(email verified)
Mon, Feb 04, 2008 at 12:43 PM
The soft bigotry of low expectations has crept into the thinking of decision makers at the Dept. of Human Services. Citizens should also be sure to pre-qualify for Unemployment as the state continues the nosedive into depression. Did someone miss the fact that Oregon Public Employees Retirement System lost some $6 billion last month alone. That's billion with a B boys and girls.
(email verified)
Mon, Feb 04, 2008 at 01:33 PM
For those who don't know it, there is no such thing as welfare anymore. There are food stamps, which aren't enough to live on, and TANF, which is Temporary Aid for Needy Families. And like its name implies, it is temporary and there is a cap on how long you can receive it. Welfare went away during Bill Clinton's time as president. There are no longer ongoing payments that you can live on and spend as you please.
Please remember that sometimes people aren't driving their own car - it could be someone else's. I've known plenty of people who have borrowed a car from a family member or friend in order to go to the store. Also, when something bad happens like losing a job, you're not necessarily going to go out and sell a car you paid off back when you had a job, especially if you're hoping that the downtown in your economic status will only be temporary. Or maybe you have a lease on a vehicle at a low price because before you lost your job you had good credit and a good paycheck. You could stop paying and have the vehicle repossessed. But who is going to sell you a vehicle now - you no longer have a job.
Having been on food stamps just a few years ago, I can assure you the income level you have to be at is very, very low. I'd been laid off and our family income dropped to about $24,000 for a family of three. Rent and health insurance took up almost $13,000 of that. Throw in all the payroll taxes, gas, car insurance, electricity, a phone (with no extra services, just local calls), and all the things that food stamps doesn't buy (shampoo, soap, toilet paper, etc.), and we had very little money of our own to spend on food. It was usually $20-40 a month. And we only got $87 a month in food stamps. That was to feed two adults and an almost one year-old who still needed formula (soy formula because of allergies to regular formula and the fact that my milk never came on) in addition to baby food. And yes, I had to prove my citizenship to get food stamps - drivers license and a copy of all our Social Security cards.
This is the first time in several years that the Oregon Health Plan has been able to open back up to anyone beyond those who are disabled, blind, elderly, etc. We have more than 100,000 people in this state without health insurance, many of which work for a living or are children. Not "all" kids under the age of 19 are eligible for OHP all the time - your family has to meet very low income requirements first, which doesn't include all families with an income who make too little to afford health insurance. For many at the lower income levels, either their employer doesn't offer health insurance (which means the total cost of insurance is on them), or the plan through their employer costs too much - many plans run $4,000-8,000 a year in premium payments not including co-pays, co-insurance, etc.
Opening up OHP to more people in our state is a good thing. It means more people at low income levels will have the opportunity to get health insurance and be healthy. Having uninsured in our state costs every one of us who do have insurance - it's estimated that as much as 30% of our premium is because of the uninsured. We're far behind all the other industrialized nations around the world on this topic, and it's costing all of us. It costs us in unnecessary ER visits, days of work missed, kids coming to school ill, less productivity, etc.
I really wish people would stop making any topic that comes up about any form of assistance as being about illegal immigration.
(email verified)
Mon, Feb 04, 2008 at 02:58 PM
It didn't take long for someone to say you are ignorant or racist if you don't want the state to steal your money and give it to people sneaking into our country to abuse our system. That makes sense, getting angry at the taxpayers not wanting to be fleeced instead of the people stealing it from us. I imagine the only reason that could be is if the guilty dog is on here barking or you have that disorder mentioned above.
(email verified)
Mon, Feb 04, 2008 at 03:06 PM
So many cold-hearted responses here. Sad comment on how uncaring some americans have become.
I have a college degree. I've worked as a professional my whole adult life. I'm 53 years old and, due to recession, have had cutbacks in my employment to where I am just barely staying afloat, made about 10,000 last year. NO health coverage (at MY age??!!), no retirement, no benefits whatsoever.
This is scary. I've been searching seriously for work for over two years. I am not utilizing government assistance even though I am qualified. The only thing I spend money on is food and basic housing expenses. No cable tv, no entertainment, no vacations, no extravagances, nothing.
Oh yeah, and I am WHITE and was born here.
(email verified)
Mon, Feb 04, 2008 at 03:13 PM
History has proven that communism doesn't work. There is different standards of life and if you don't like yours do something about it other than holding your hand out!
(email verified)
Mon, Feb 04, 2008 at 04:19 PM
i understant your point and i understand your past situation but i have also been witness to this out of control tanf and food stamp abuse...i work at a local safeway as a second job part time and observed in the beginning of the month an influx of customers white usually single mothers with small kids with WIC...and i am totally understanding that some people need it..but then i observed a group of mexican's who spoke no english 3 men and 2 women who brought 4 FULL carts of food to my check out they proceeded to pull out 7 diffrent Food stamp cards i their total came to almost 1,000 ourtagous i know i even called my manager over to observe they paid with using only 5 of the cards meaning each had at least 200 on each account... my manager followed them out getting a description of their vehicle covering ourselves in case they were stolen cards... we were unable to intervine due to the fact that they had the pin numbers and the cards dont have names on them the manager came back in a hispanic man himself shaking his head they were driving a Brand new 08 Escalade EXT mind you they START at 55,000 this was verified because we informed the authorities after seeing this and showed the tapes to the police no reports of stolen cards is the joke to this story
(email verified)
Mon, Feb 04, 2008 at 04:36 PM
Wow,
To "Too many ignorant people". OHP is not a "drop in the bucket". It is largely funded at the state level. The war is funded at the federal level. Apples and oranges, difference in tax base. And the OHP is expensive.
To "Jenni Simonis". Do you really want to talk about the other wonderful "Industrialized Nations". There is a reason Canadians come to the U.S. for medical care. There is a reason our tax rates are not 60% or higher. There is a reason that when my doctor says I need surgery or a CT scan that I don't have to wait 3 months.
Yes I make good money and I pay a pretty good tax on that money. Here are some key factors to my success. I stayed in high school, I served the military and completed college on the G.I. Bill, I never abused alcohol or drugs and I did not have children until I had a career and could afford them. Simple steps to success.
I happen to think that paying a higher tax to help someone in TEMPORARY need is alright. Unfortunately we now have families who have been on the government dole for generations. Unacceptable. If I want to drive a BMW and own a new boat with "MY MONEY" when my neighbor can't, that should be OK. "I EARNED IT".
The Federal Healthy Kids program was discussing a 60K income limit and potentially 80K. What is wrong with that picture? It's called priorities. The OHP is run in the same irresponsible manner. The only reason there are limits at all is because it is already a large consumer of the Oregon Budget. If the politicians could get more money, trust me there would be more people on the dole.
To say it is not related to the immigration issue is crazy. Your state runs spanish language public assistance fairs on weekends for the purpose of signing people onto the government dole.
And as far as food stamps? Wow someone is getting bum rushed. Funny how I can follow someone through the line at the grocery, pay for my own groceries, while watching a person with Oregon Trail buy name brand and better quality cuts of meat than I. Either they are getting more money, or they they are not paying what I am paying. Also how does one explain the token beer and cigarette purchases right behind their food purchase? Does anyone know one of the major factors behind switching to the debit card style food stamp system? To remove the STIGMA. A quote from your government. There should be a stigma. It means incentive to get off of it.
Give me a break. A hand out is "WELFARE". It is out of control. I regularly see able bodied people collecting some form or another. I have a job where I deal with a wide variety of the population. Welfare is abused.
(email verified)
Mon, Feb 04, 2008 at 05:25 PM
sorry jenni simmons whether you like it or not illegal aliens and their numerous unnecesary children are eating up most of the food stamp and welfare slots and money now.that is not a racist statement either.USING FAKE NAMES AND IDS TO GET STATE AND FEDERAL BENEFITS JENNI IS AGAINST THE LAW.i wonder jenni if you would be so sympathetic to illegals and their plight if one of them illegally stole and used yours or your families social security numbers to work.funny jenni liberals like yourself are never sympathetic to the tough plight legal americans face every day too.we have to survive too and feed our families.enough sympathry for all the illegal mexicans plight..how about some sympathy for us legal americans with the cost of living going up fast because of liberal tax,fee and regulate more policies.plus all these unnecesary levys for schools,parks,police and etc.get rid of all 1000,000 consultants before the govt ever asks the public for any more money.illegals are breaking the law jenni whether you like it or not.i wonder jenni if illegal amerricans went down to mexico and stole ids and broke mexicos laws and trhe mexican govt threw me in prison would you feel sorry for me and would you call the mexican govt racist?of course not.its a fact a good majority of the people in oregon on welfare are hispanic.
(email verified)
Mon, Feb 04, 2008 at 07:14 PM
There is no time limit as to how long you can receive "benifits" from DHS. As long as you meet the requirements and jump through the hoops (or walk around them) you can keep gettin several hundred bucks added to your free cash card. If you are arrested for a felony crime, charged, prosecuted and put on probation you can still get your benifits (if you are actually incarcerated that is a different matter but I'm almost positive there is no one keeping track of people who get locked up for a few months) No required birth control? No drug testing? No standards. Lame.
(email verified)
Mon, Feb 04, 2008 at 10:36 PM
hooray! you just got on the Oregon Health Plan! now...if you can just find a doctor to take care of you...malpractice premiums continue to rise at a record pace so half the money the doctor makes goes to trying to pay premiums. He or she can "ill" afford to take you on with your numermous health problems, your history of sedentary lifestyle/poor diet choice/history of smoking and drug use/ obesity and associated illnesses (diabetes, heart disease, etc.) For his time with you, he'll be paid a couple pennies on the dollar so in effect he will be seeing you for free---after he figures in his cost of doing business. Let's see a show of hands of you out there who work for free!
(email verified)
Tue, Feb 05, 2008 at 01:20 AM
This is actually a good thing. The opening of OHP to thousands of uninsured Oregonians (Mexican or not) will help keep our future health insurance costs and rate increases a little lower.
Normally when an uninsured person gets sick, they don't go to the doctor, they wait as long as they can to see if the body will heal itself, when it can't or doesn't then they end up in the ER or Urgent care with a more serious and expensive condition.
Guess what happens next? This uninsured person doesn't pay for the care or treatment they received because the ER charges outrageously high fees. And of course the reason for the high fees is because the ER has to make up for the loss they incurred from the uninsured persons who received "Free" care with the people who have insurance...... The ER and doctors bill the health insurance companies with these super high fees, who in-turn pass it onto the all of us through health insurance rate increases (for some companies 20+% or more per year)
So are you seeing a trickle down theme here..........
The more people we have insured, the less cost shifting there will be to the insured, which in turn keeps health insurance rates lower for all of us!
(email verified)
Tue, Feb 05, 2008 at 02:53 AM
Just so the ignorant are aware, approximately 65% of those on OHP consider themselves "white". 15% Hispanic 13% Black, 5% Asian and 2% unknown. Of the 15% who are Hispanic, who knows if they are legal or not. This is not a race issue, this is a public health issue. Sick people get care whether they have insurance or not and when they don't, they go to the ER, which is the least cost effective option for everyone. You can build walls and deport people all you want, but in the end there will still be a need.
(email verified)
Tue, Feb 05, 2008 at 05:51 AM
The "cash" benefit that is handed out by DHS is called TANF. It is a federal program. The food benefit is a federal program, it's food stamps. Health insurance falls under Medicaid and Medicare. Medicare is federal, Medicaid would be the Oregon Health Plan. Because of huge recent cuts in OHP, most people who are on taxpayer funded health insurance are on it because of federal guidelines, not state.
There is a limit to how long you can be on TANF. The limit set by the feds is 5 years in . The maximum benefit for a family of three is $503.
Like I said, I've been through the process of applying for this stuff, and a copy of all my documents proving who I was had to be turned in. They had copies of my DL, my SS card, lease, electric bill, phone bill, and more.
I never said it was a good thing to steal someone's identity. The problem is that when someone who actually knows the facts points them out, you have someone who starts accusing them of being for all kinds of stuff that they're not.
I don't know about the case with the multiple food stamp cards. It's always possible that they live in a household where several adults get food stamps and that a few of them do all the shopping for the household. Maybe the vehicle didn't belong to those on food stamps. Maybe it was purchased before jobs were lost. Maybe they're getting cash under the table doing jobs and use that to purchase a vehicle and other stuff while only reporting what is easily checked. There's no way I can know the specifics behind that case. I'm sure there are people out there who cheat the system. They report the small earnings they get working at McDonalds, but then are making cash mowing people's lawns, walking dogs, or whatever, but don't report that.
And people on food stamps can buy whatever brand of food they like. They pay the same as everyone else. You buy more expensive items, you have less to spend for the month. Simple as that. Maybe you choose to be more frugal with your money and buy cheaper items so your grocery bill stretches out. At the same time someone else chooses to buy name brands, better cuts of meat, etc. They get less food items for their money, but may get a better product, items that are healthier, etc. If they then buy alcohol, cigarettes, etc. with the little money they do have, honestly it's their choice. No one tells me what to spend my own cash on, I'm not going to do the same for others. It would be better if they bought additional food items, since I know from experience you don't get enough food stamps to make the entire month. But it's their decision to make, and their empty belly, not mine.
I think a big part of the problem is that people make assumptions about those on assistance - they're lazy, don't work, etc. Most people on assistance do indeed work. Many of those not working are because of disability, illness, lay-off, etc. They assume that a person who is speaking Spanish isn't a citizen. They assume that everyone with brown skin must be illegal. And they assume that the majority of those on assistance are Hispanic. Not that there is anything wrong with it if it were the case, as there are hundreds of thousands of citizens in this country who are Hispanic. But the bulk of those getting assistance in Oregon are "white."
(email verified)
Tue, Feb 05, 2008 at 07:59 AM
What you don't seem to understand Jenni is that someone who buys food with my money (food stamps) and then uses their "own" money to buy beer and cigs is basically using me so they can buy their beer and cigs. The other point about them buying more expensive food is I would like to buy expensive food like them. If I could pay less taxes to these people then I could afford it in my budget.
The same logic does not apply to the OHP however.
(email verified)
Tue, Feb 05, 2008 at 09:50 AM
You can buy the items in your budget. It just means that you have less money to spend on other items. The same with them - they have a limited amount of money to spend, and the more expensive the items they buy, the less they can buy. Spend unwisely, you run out of food or end up eating Raman for days.
Personally, I tried to buy healthy, but as low cost as possible. That allowed our money to stretch as far as possible, but still at the beginning of the month we'd have very little to eat (the day you get your benefits is based on the last digit of your SSN). But because of a medical condition, I needed to buy foods that were extremely lean in fat, and it was recommended very low beef, chicken, and fish. Which meant sometimes I had to pass up cheaper meats so that I could buy meat that wouldn't mean a trip to the ER. And more than once I heard rude comments behind me in the line about buying a small piece of fish (that happened to be on sale and cheaper than the lean chicken or beef at the time).
Whether they buy beer or food, they don't get any more money. For example...
Say they have $40 a month in their own money to spend on groceries, household items, etc. and then they get $90 in food stamps. That means they have $130 to spend. The $90 is limited in what they can spend it on, since it's paid for with the Oregon Trail Card. The $40 of your own money you can spend as you'd like. If you spend it on expensive food and beer, then you're going to find it hard to make it through the month. They're not using you to get their beer - they get a certain amount of food stamps based on their income. Period. They don't get more because they wasted it or wanted to buy more expensive stuff.
Even if you disallowed people from buying beer/cigs after they use food stamps to purchase food, how would you stop them from coming back or going to another store and buying just that? They're paying with cash, after all - how are you going to control how they spend it? Are you going to force them to turn over all their cash, which is then placed on the card? Are you then going to expand what can be bought with the card, because there are a lot of basic necessities that need to be purchased that can't be put on your Oregon Trail Card. And are we going to offer alcohol treatment and tobacco cessation for free to people on food stamps so they can stop their addiction?
Food stamps make up a very, very, very small portion of the federal budget. It costs about 1% of the federal budget and feeds almost 26.5 million people (almost 9% of the population, many of which are elderly, have serious illnesses, or are children). That cost includes employment and training programs, cost of printing the cards, administration to handle the process, etc. If you paid $10,000 in federal taxes last year, a whole $100 went to the food stamp program, or less than $10/month.
(email verified)
Tue, Feb 05, 2008 at 11:12 AM
Hooray! Now I can stop wondering when a selfish and self centered public employee would sign on and call us all "ignorant". I would rather be ignorant than so greedy there is precious little left over for the truly needy in this state. Have you got your giant PERS payout figured up yet?
(email verified)
Wed, Feb 06, 2008 at 01:35 AM
The list will just keep getting longer, as long as we limit opportunity with social engineering like "Urban Growth Boundaries and Smart Growth Planning"
(email verified)
Wed, Feb 06, 2008 at 01:37 AM
Jenni you have so missed the point. If one is buying cigarettes and beer then they should not be receiving assistance for food. My budget is affected because I am paying for their food through my taxes. And why should I cover their smoking or booze cessation programs? It's called priorities. Get off your a$$ and get a job or two jobs or three jobs. It's called survival, that is what I do when I go to work and make money. I do not make money to spend on other people. The truly needy are fine for short term assistance ding dong.
Wow, you are all about handouts and so are some of these other people on here. The defense of welfare is incredible. The state needs to tighten their belt not me! I am enraged that you think I should adjust my budget to fund freeloaders.
Get a grip Jenni these people are not eating Raman. I can see the amount of groceries they are buying so don't act like we are all idiots. Pay your own way. If someone does not get free handouts they will survive, trust me it is human nature. There are plenty of jobs and if it takes two or three to survibe then that is what you do.
And to you OHP providers, get a grip and quit trumpeting your cash cow state job maker. It is a joke. Kick any adults off and insure kids if you must. Tell the adults to get a job and pay their way and don't have anymore kids that they can't afford!
(email verified)
Wed, Feb 06, 2008 at 02:45 AM
It's sad how government works, and it all comes down to our tax system. A man wants to put a kid through college, he goes out and gets a second job, but this puts him in a higher tax bracket. His new job earnings is 80% to taxes, so government screws him there. He decides he wants to start a new business. This is almost impossible because of regulation, tax requirements and loopholes to jump through. So he wont start a business, he decides to invest instead. Wait, government taxes him again at a very high percent! He can't die either, because government slaps his family with the death tax, which is around 60% of total assets. SO what is this man to do, he will quit working, sit on his butt and watch Maury and Jerry Springer all day while he collects welfare money, food stamps which covers an entire family's consumption need, he will also be put on the new free health plan he just has to sign up. Now his kid will get federal loans up the ying-yang because they are considered poor. WOW.. Government needs a fair tax! I'm so sick of people working the system, getting a free ride. I grew up in a welfare family so i know how the abuse of the system happens. I also worked two jobs to put myself through college and never asked for a handout. I now make high six figures in a lucrative business. All this crap about people not having a chance stinks! Get off your butts, suck it up, find a job! NO MORE FREELOADING!
(email verified)
Wed, Feb 06, 2008 at 03:02 AM
In my line of work I happen to travel quit frequently throughout the community I work in. Here are the non myths of "welfare". I have met more then one transient who has an Oregon Trail Card and trust me they are able bodied and brag about having it. One in particular, came here from New Jersey because of the "health plan" and the treatment he is afforded for his diabetes. No joke. I have very rarely seen a person arrested for possessing illegal narcotics who did not have an Oregon Trail card in their purse or wallet. No joke. I routinely go to residences, yes with nice cars in the driveway, see beer and cigarettes galore where the residents are receiving Oregon Trail, WIC and housing. No joke. I routinely come into contact with persons who are no doubt here illegally and guess what? They are in possession of an Oregon Trail card. No joke.
For all of you naysayers, I will leave it up to you to guess what I do. Trust me "welfare" abuse and mismanagment are rampant. It is incredible the abuses that I have seen. I know you won't listen or you will try and minimize because it does not fit into your nice plan of handouts. However, I have seen the "norm" and yes the Oregon and American taxpayer are being taken to the cleaners while a percentage of the population gets a free ride. That unfortunately is the truth from a person on the ground and in the community.
(email verified)
Wed, Feb 06, 2008 at 03:21 AM
Whose paying 80% in taxes? Just curious? My bet, there really not..... it may feel like it but your not.
(email verified)
Wed, Feb 06, 2008 at 06:20 AM
I understand that some people need it but the taxpayers that are helping people out are getting shafted maybe 40-50% of the time. The people using the system will be the reason it will end. They are not just stealing from the Taxpayers they are also stealing from the disabled and the elderly which need it and won't get it. the abuse brings the hate and you never hear the stories from the people who got back on there feet because of our money
(email verified)
Wed, Feb 06, 2008 at 07:23 AM
As with any other government assistance program, there will be fraud and abuse. Where's the enforcement? Where are the news stories about so and so arrested for fraud of the health care system? When there is no enforcement, the fraud only escalates.
(email verified)
Wed, Feb 06, 2008 at 07:49 AM
Well thanks to all you "taxpayers" who so unwillingly, helped me and my small children when a crisis threw us onto the welfare rolls.
Thank you for the food, the medical help, the job training, and the measly amount of cash I received that wasn't enough for rent AND electricity. Thank you for paying your taxes and the consequence of my family not ending up on the street.
Since you are all so much better than anyone who has ever had to apply for public assistance.....let me bow to you for all the help. Hope you feel better, because your DOG EAT DOG attitude sickens me.
Instead of whining how poor folks are all living off your all mighty dollar, why don't you get off your computer and donate your time to helping those that want off the public funds roll. Can you offer a job, be willing to train someone. Volunteer at Sno-cap or a soup kitchen and see how the other half lives. If you can still bad mouth them, may God warm your cold hard heart.
People who abuse the system.....how many of you hard workers have called in sick when you weren't? You abuse things in life as well.
I'm glad for those of you who have medical insurance with your jobs, many people don't. I remember being grateful for medical assistance, my son was very ill. Your all might hard earned dollar helped a little boy.
Have I patted you on the back enough now?
I hope you never have to get cut a break in hard times.
I also read a poster in a Head Start office that said, "You don't have to be a legal citizen for your children to qualify for benefits." I was treated like a white criminal in order to get benefits.
I'm glad the "system" was there when I needed it.
(email verified)
Wed, Feb 06, 2008 at 12:53 PM
Ummm, hey "Princess"
Hopefully you weren't on assistance while in law school. Yes that would be abusing the system. I am interested what exactly the crisis was. High tuition?
I am also curious if you donate your legal expertise pro-bono to homeless folks. I mean they can't afford an attorney, right?
Another thing is I do donate. It's called taxes that pays for those that don't work. I would like to spend some time with my family as well which is why I don't spend much time at the the old soup kitchen. You see I raise my family because I don't think the government should. I teach them to be self sufficient and how to stand on their own two feet. They know that whatever they get they earned. Unless you don't approve of course. And no I do not call in sick when I am not. It's called good work ethic, something that is lacking in todays society.
I have read these blogs "princess" and many of them say that people in need are good to assist. However, we are now seeing multiple generations on welfare. That is unsatisfactory. When I see someone on welfare who has three, four, five or more kids; yes that irritates me. Stay in highschool, don't abuse drugs and alcohol and don't have kids at 15. That is the irritation that most people have. The amount of welfare flushed down the toilet on these type of people is far greater than that spent on those who need it. Thus when someone who does need it comes along, there is none left. Huh.
And yes your gratefulness is appreciated as you should be grateful. Instead of acting snide maybe you should donate the assistance given to you back to the system and the taxpayers. Lucky for you the system was there, but you are even luckier that there were enough haves to pay for it.
(email verified)
Wed, Feb 06, 2008 at 07:03 PM
To be frank, Get a job – multiple if you must but DO NOT expect the government or those around you to take care of you when you lose your job or health insurance or all of the above. Take care of yourself; it is neither ours nor the government’s responsibility to take care of you. The government cannot take care of itself, how you can expect it to take care of you is beyond me.
The state and federal funded assistance programs should not have been created in the first place. It is misuse of tax funds as far as I am concerned. The state and its city’s (general statement) cannot afford to maintain its own services such as police and fire let alone assistance programs, how in the world can it be expected to take care of your and your children?
Princess, what are you doing to “give back” to those who are in need? My guess is nothing.
My thoughts.
(email verified)
Thu, Feb 07, 2008 at 04:39 AM
I didn't go to law school on the public system.
I got training by the jobs program and then a lawyer gave me a scholarship while I worked part time in her office doing paralegal type work. I could do most of the paperwork at home, so I was also able to not have child care expenses from working. She wanted to retire and the plan was she wanted to retire and was looking for someone to replace her...to carry on her work with women at a disadvantage.
What do I do to give back....
I accept interns and I am currently scholarshipping 3 mothers on assistant. Yes they are citizens.
I do volunteer my legal services to women in domestic violent situations. I also help in custody battles.
I volunteer at soup kitchens.
I volunteer at the school for field trips, and make it a point to work in the special ed dept
I volunteer at Insights Teem mom program, give lectures, advise and leads on scholarships to better yourself and support your child. Teach child care skills and budgeting.
I volunteer and do the summer lunch program for children.
I didn't go into law to "get rich", I still live on as little as possible and put into the community the rest. I didn't get self efficient without help and I'm not self centered so I know that we all need some help now and then.
However I don't feel anyone owes me. Like taxpayers think when they're money goes to help women in need.
And as for my post being snide.........read your own posts aloud.
(email verified)
Fri, Feb 08, 2008 at 08:12 AM
This opinion site really needs a moderator.
There are bad apple welfare Queens, just like there are bad apples in every profession. But that doesn't mean that you should be judging all families on assistance as loafers. Situations do happen in life where pride is swallowed an help is needed. If you've never experienced this, I actually pity you, because there are good lessons in life's school of hard knocks.
Now if we lived in a society where people still had family, and church and men who stuck by their families or even paid child support.....maybe women would not have to go beg the government. Maybe if schools didn't allow students to drop out at 16....
The days of families pulling together in hard times is over. The days of men being publically disgraced for not taking care of their children, is over. The days of churches taking care of the widows with children is over. The days of truancy officers is over. Juvenile court is a joke. Even probation officers don't really follow up on their clients.
It's just not a perfect world. It never was. It never will be. Just do your best to help others and keep your own head above water. Be kind. Make the world a better place by how you relate to others.
All this negativity on here. Shame.
(email verified)
Fri, Feb 08, 2008 at 08:26 AM
I think want the majority of people want is some sort of acceptable standard. TIME LIMITS, MONEY LIMITS, ETC. Why should a twenty year old able bodied man be able to collect $200 a month when he is committing crimes, couch surfing and being lazy? Why should a twenty year old woman be able to collect $200 a month because she doesn't want to work and would rather be a groupie and follow a particular band around the united states for a year? Why should a woman be allowed to recieve several hundred dollars a month since 2001 because she can't find time to get a job or go to school but can have three children and WE pay her "babies daddies" to "babysit" while she's "out looking for work" which is really just surfing the internet, smoking, committing crimes or breeding. Nothing will change until people start demanding some standards and accountability. Until then just keep paying your taxes. As for the welfare lawyer, how about some humble pie, you needed assistance, you got it on other peoples dime and moved on with your life, you go girl!. 1 success out of 1,000 ain't to shabby.
(email verified)
Sat, Feb 09, 2008 at 12:31 AM
The real cost of the Oregon health plan, food stamps, and other Federal give-aways isn't the money that's going to the recipients. Think about the social workers and their bosses, and their bosses' bosses and those bosses' bosses.
There are two types of people that support expanding coverage - those that are recipients and those that make their living by there being recipients. So how do you get more recipients so you can have more employees to run the program and get more money because you're running a bigger operation?
First, you remove the stigma of receiving support. If you're receiving support you SHOULD be freaking ashamed. That means you are a FAILURE. But that would keep people from applying, so you try to get society to turn a blind eye - when I was a kid, people were embarrassed to use their food stamps. Nowadays, they flash them like they were a Platinum AMEX card.
Second, you don't require anything in exchange. If you're on government support, you should get alternate days of looking for work and picking up trash or doing other menial labor unless you are demonstrably infirm.
Third, you encourage larger families. If people on support couldn't get pregnant, you'd take one big burden off the Oregon Health Plan - we should force everyone receiving support to take mandatory birth control - failure to abide by that drops them from the plan and they loose all their kids until they're working again. We're supporting t hat family - not the parents. Why should they have any right to make any individual decisions that affect MY pocket book.
Finally you try to get society to think everyone else feels this is OK by getting shills to post ridiculous statements like "it's Federal money, not State money" - idiots! where do they think Federal money comes from (they know, they just think everyone else is too dumb to know)? or, it's just a small piece of the budget? of it's all about people that can't get jobs.
None of this will affect those folks who are having a short run of bad luck. Everyone can deal with a dose of humility now and then, it's not pleasant, but it's temporary.
Also, rotate managers so they can only work in that business 3 years at a time. This will keep the big wigs from trying to create empires - no reason to get a bigger budget if you aren't going be around to lord over it. Management skills are transferable. Whether you end up managing a road crew in John Day or get some Plum job in Salem is based on how effective you were in your last job, based on some pre-defined metrics such as number of people served per dollar or some such.
(email verified)
Sun, Feb 10, 2008 at 05:02 AM
There are those who truely need the help for a little while, but unfortunatly there are more who abuse the system which is why it's going the direction it's going and probably won't be around in the future for people who will really need it hen. I was on assistance for 3 months a very LONG time ago, I got off of it as quickly as possible. It's a viscious cycle once you are on it, which is why I was glad to get off and fly on my own, but I have never felt guilty about needing the help because I have also contributed as a tax payer, it should be there for us when we truely NEED it. I agree people should stop having babies to stay on it, get fixed please,or go to work and pay for your own babies. As for you "illegals" having your babies here and sending your welfare money to family in Mexico, stop flying your flags here and demanding that we speak your language and observe your holidays. GO BACK TO MEXICO AND DISPLAY YOUR MEXICAN PRIDE THERE! Show a little gratitude for what you have gotten here and stop acting so resentful when hard working American citizens get angry over paying your bills.
(email verified)
Wed, Feb 13, 2008 at 03:41 AM
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Re: Thousands seek a spot on state health plan reservation list
Pull up to the trough!
""
(email verified)
Mon, Feb 04, 2008 at 04:00 AM