Quote:
Originally posted by ktsnake
Oklahomans are also paid far less on average than in other states. The median income here for a household is only 38K.
In Florida, it's much higher.
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According to the
2000 Census Income Information, Florida's median income for a family of 4 is around $52,000--only 1K more than Oklahoma's. I don't think one thousand is "much" higher.
I said that Florida's insurance is cheap, it's probably about the same as Oklahoma's. But not every state offers such low-cost health insurance. It was about 6 times less than what I could have paid for a less comprehensive policy from the same company here in New York. I couldn't get it because, as far as they're concerned, I'm not a Florida resident. Luckily, I'm affiliated with a very good university that offers excellent health insurance. In fact, I will be able to keep the same doctors I had under my father's health plan.
People abuse the system everywhere.

I was just talking with my sister who works (but not as a social worker! She does financial stuff) for the Florida Department of Children and Families. She said that if the majority of people used public assistance as a helping hand, she would be "out of a job." Yet, she believes that public assistance should remain for those people who do use it as a temporary fix to get out of a bad situation, and she probably has seen more cases of abuse than you have.

I think the system needs to be fixed--not eliminated--so more people can be genuinely helped than enabled.