A Healthy Dilemma, part one.

For the past few years, some friends and I have been building relationships with some of the homeless and poor in our county. Because of this, I've seen and learned things that have opened my eyes up to different perspectives-and some of these perspectives are stories of health care. I'd like to post a few of these stories this week, especially since most of the nation is talking about medical insurance for those who are uninsured.

One of these friends, I'll call her "G", got off the streets with some help from some of these people. She and a couple others found an apartment in a Section 8 housing area close to downtown. For those who don't know how Section 8 housing works, it has rent that varies based on your income level (with government subsidies making up the difference). So if you make very little each month, the rent you pay out of your pocket isn't much, and the gov't picks up the rest. Conversely, the more you make, the more your rent is, with the gov't subsidizing less.

Anyways, we were so happy to see G and her friends get off the streets! No more sleeping behind a parking garage on the grass or on a cardboard box. For us and for her, this was an amazing step in the right direction. After a week or two of being off the streets, my wife asked G if we could help her find a job now (she had been using her disability income to pay the rent). She shocked us when she told us that she wasn't interested in working.

What?

We didn't understand what she meant. Didn't she want to better herself, move out of that neighborhood one day and so forth? This clearly didn't make sense to my wife or those who were there with us, so we asked her why she wouldn't want to get a job and make some money. Her answer was surprising. She told us that if she started working, she would lose her government help (housing subsidies, food stamps and healthcare that was free for her). So by working a job, she would actually make less and lose her healthcare benefits.

And for the last year or two, she hasn't had to work. Each month, G has lived on a government check and food stamps. She has a cell phone she pays for with her check, and spends most of her time around the neighborhood, getting involved in the local gossip and hanging out. True to her word, she doesn't want to ever work because she would lose all her freedom and benefits.

It's a weird dilemma for those who are in "G's" situation-those who are unemployed and collect disability money and benefits, because she could easily work in a variety of jobs. But many lose any interest in bettering their situation, because in the short term their life gets harder before it gets better.

We've heard a lot lately about the millions of uninsured in our country. But we aren't often reminded that those who are extremely poor and those who are listed as disabled already get health insurance in our country today. I didn't say free health care, because those who pay taxes are covering the costs for those who are without jobs. But some of these unemployed adults aren't part of the millions of people who are without health insurance.