Yes. “It’s impossible to understand what it is to move when you have nothing....” Tell me about it. I'm in the midst of trying it now.
Besides, many poor in Texas pass on any government benefits whatsoever. They have been brainwashed into thinking that The People should not take care of The People.
Demonstrated in stark relief in Texarkana, where Texans do not receive expanded Medicaid benefits but those living on the other side of town in Arkansas do! This is one of several cities that have this situation where one side is in a state where Republicans have refused the expanded Medicaid benefits for their many thousands of citizens who need this insurance, often to survive. Because. Folks in the other side of town, in the other state, are able to apply for health care benefits!
One resident who might apply for ACA Medicaid benefits, despite how difficult it may be for a poor person to move and/or establish the fact of their residence, said:
“They need to quit playing games with people’s lives. Rich people. Government people.”
Another reason the poor might not move? Below the elitist, but pretty, orange thing.
.... none of the low-income Texarkana residents interviewed realized that moving to the other side of town might mean a Medicaid card. In fact, health researchers and those who work with the poor expect very few Americans to move between states to take advantage of the law.
my bold
Why would this be? Moving to the other side of a town doesn't seem that hard, not to most people. But if you are poor it can be impossible. Just ask me, I've been dealing with moving a short distance, rental rates, moving costs etc. If you have money it's not that hard. Well, it's a pain in the ass, but doable.
But when you are poor, moving can be frightening as well as cost prohibitive. Why frightening? It's described well in this article, but I'd add that when you know you can just survive in one place, you are grateful and you don't want to jinx it. Who knows, you think, maybe if I move life will be WORSE! Oh noes, you couldn't stand that. You might not survive at all! So the possibility of health care? Not a sure thing? That would not induce you to move. And more's the pity.
You see, some states, such as my state of Florida have acted to limit broadcasting the information. Florida's governor Rick Scott, for example, and the REPUBLICAN legislature, enacted a law keeping the navigators of the ACA act from making known their services to help people get health are. Everything they did to keep people from having cheaper health care they did. They even passed a law saying that health insurance companies could continue for two more years to INCREASE rates. Yes, fine with the Republicans to cheat the poor and the middle class.
Arkansas accepted the Affordable Care Act Medicaid expansion. But not Texas!
Republicans were worried, after the 2012 SCOTUS decision that states didn't have to expand Medicaid to more poor residents, that the poor would flock to states who did expand Medicaid. So 26 states and D.C. did expand, since the feds are paying 90% "indefinitely." [Texas, and my state of Florida, two of the neediest of this program, are not expanding Medicaid.] But THAT did NOT happen.
Low-income residents of Texarkana and across the country are NOT flocking to covered places as the GOP predicted. Go figure, GOP got something wrong! Research has revealed that:
very few Americans (are expected) to move between states to take advantage of the law.
my bold
Why?? Why would this be? Why would they not move, even if just across town?
“It’s impossible to understand what it is to move when you have nothing,” said Jennifer Laurent, the executive director of Randy Sams’ Outreach Shelter...... snip “To risk everything — losing your bed, your sense of community — for an uncertain benefit? There’s no way you want to risk that.”
snip .... A study in the journal Health Affairs looked at the “welfare magnet hypothesis” and found no evidence that it exists. ....snip “... Will there be a major wave of people moving to get insurance? Probably not.”
Millions of people are being denied health care by Republicans resistant to helping the poor get Medicaid. And so sadly, they have brainwashed people into fearing the government.
.... many qualified people resist using government services, because of fear, a lack of knowledge or a criminal conviction. “They just don’t trust the government.... They’ve been told no over and over and over again.”
For some poor who try to get Medicaid healthcare,
the challenge of proving residence proves too overwhelming. One such man:
“Medicaid, I think that should be universal,” he said, getting ready for the long walk back to his tent. “It makes me mad,” said Mr. Miller, who is not receiving any federal benefits at the moment despite his array of illnesses. “They need to quit playing games with people’s lives. Rich people. Government people.”
Sorry if this is too long, but am too exhausted from moving prep. to edit it down.