Welfare in Maine (apartment, look for a job, high school)

[msina]

Here, then, are the rules for How to Be Poor:

Rule 1: Have very little money.
Rule 2: Live on it.
Rule 3: Rule 2 will change your life, if you let it.

As the old saying goes, when you find yourself in a hole, stop digging. In other words, stop spending.

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com...It.aspx?page=1

excellant article!

[399083453]

Originally Posted by Aerobars

Malpractice insurance will vary a lot based on specialty and location.

And that is just the malpractice insurance for the practice. Its a huge expense and the doctors pay it because they have substantial assets, but....... Lately the doctors offices I've seen are not offering malpractice for the employees. Basically you mess up, your own your own. The personal malpractice insurance is so expensive the people I know just go without. Any personal lawsuit would most likely mean instant bankruptcy.

[Zymer]

Originally Posted by msina

As the old saying goes, when you find yourself in a hole, stop digging. In other words, stop spending.

And excellent advice. Points.

[Submariner]

Our society's health care system does have problems.

However having recently gone from our Federal system of health care, I must say that we really like this civilian system much better.

Even after I retired, we were still being treated by 'Military Medicine', as we lived within the 50 mile radius that they are required to go by.

Now that we live outside of the 50 mile radius from any Mil Med clinics, we are eligible for civilian health care. This is much better.

We are seen by doctors. They have been through college, which is way better than what we have used for our family since the late 70's. These are licensed doctors and nurses too. No more corpsmen. 18 year old kids who learn through OJT. Kids fumble and lose things and don't have a clue of how to draw blood without jabbing you six times. I have had more problems getting sutured by kids who were scared of seeing blood.

Now most of the corpsmen who have treated my DW have been some of the best corpsmen, Great sailors! However now being seen by folks who have been through college AND med school, is way better.

We would never wish to go back to the level of treatment that we have had for the previous 24 years.

You civilians have got it great!

[Aerobars]

Just a little clarification, I don't expect anyone to feel sorry for physicians, just explaining that part of the reason doctors visits can seem so rushed is because if they aren't it's hard to stay in the black. This generation of physicians is not the same as that of yester-year. McMansions are not in the future of newly minted primary care physicians. If nothing is changed legislatively medicare reimbursements will be cut 10% this year across the board. That can be tough to swallow for practices that are barely making it as is, and will make it tougher for those on medicare/medicaid to find offices willing to take them on as new patients.

Forest: I have heard many complaints about the military medical system. I think your post is spot on, most of the problems are not with the people, they are with the system. Here's hoping we can change the medical system in this country for the better rather than have civillian medicine go the way the military has.

To get this back on track: The best way to improve welfare is to really incentivize people to escape from it, to be cliche it's important to give people a hand up, not a hand out. This is unfortunately very difficult to do in practice.

[deerislesmile]

Interesting report from the Margaret Chase Smith Center (UMaine) about poverty in Maine, including facts and figures for each county- 2006:

http://www.umaine.edu/mcsc/Research/...Rpt/index.html

[Cornerguy1]

Not having read and retained every post in the last 10 pages, I may be asking something already covered, but does the Maine welfare system have any kind of mechanism that requires users to either maintain an active work search or attend re-training sessions as a condition of continued use of the system?

In other words, are folks who are on welfare required to look for work or retrain or else get the boot from the system?

[deerislesmile]

I think it would be helpful to clarify the various programs instead of using the blanket term welfare. each has it's own conditions.

For people recieving food stamps or MaineCare, there is no work requirement and also no limit on the length of time a recipient recieves the benefit. Also no limit on the age of the participants, or on the size of the family (although benefits max out at 8 people...I think. Have to double check on that.

With TANF (formerly AFDC), the recipient is required to participate in the ASPIRE program, which is the support and education component. Though there are a few meetings that they have to attend in which the DHS workers help them to navigate which steps and which programs and services that they should be looking into for help, if the parent is already employed at least 30 hours a week, they are meeting the work requirement. If they do not already have a job, they are required to be either looking for employment, doing some kind of training/studying, or volunteering somewhere for those 30 hours per week. Through the ASPIRE program, the recipients are eligible for training that would better their job skills, and given direction about where to find employment.

PaS (Parents as Scholars) is a sister program to ASPIRE, except that the parent is required to be in class or studying for those 30 hours per week instead of in a job. The PaS participants are given the same grant (cash benefit) as TANF, but also helped with some schooling needs (books, transportation, minimal supplies as needed), however the program does NOT pay for tuition.

All cash benefit programs (except for other programs such as disability or SSI) are only open to those people who have minor children.

All programs do offer some transitional services (namely- day care vouchers) for participants when they leave the programs.

There are some exceptions to the work requirement- if the parent or at least one of the minor children has a disability, if the children are under the age of 6, or if the parent has no transportation (public or private) to a job site and there are no other jobs available within a reasonable travelling distance (rule of thumb is if it would require more than an hour commute either way), they may not be required to participate for that required 30 hours per week- they have reduced requirements, and in some cases, not be required to be in work or training at all (though that is rare. An example would be a participant living on one of the outer islands in winter- they may not be able to find work where they are and the commute via ferry wold not be logical. Their work requirement would be waived.)

[Citrusguy1000]

Originally Posted by flycessna

Maine has a 5 year limit but doesn't inforce it (as of 2 years ago). I have had more exposer to people on welfare then I would "think" most else on this forum. IMO it is very much abused. It has become a significant part of Maine's economy. TONS of jobs depend on it.

I moved out of Maine 4 years ago to Florida due to the cold weather and due to over-taxation and the welfare system. Maine has become too liberal, has a government spending problem, and supports only those on welfare, not the working men and women. I hope someday they will elect officials that will take the state back.

[deerislesmile]

Originally Posted by Citrusguy1000

... and supports only those on welfare, not the working men and women.

And back to perpetuating the myth that people who recieve welfare do not work....