The Working Poor and Healthcare

Cydney Skeens F. B. C Ms. Gaines 9 October 2012 Writing Assignment: The Working Poor Poverty can be defined by the necessities and amenities that one does not have in their life. Due to the expectations created by our society, we have a tendency to judge others based on the clothes they wear or the cars they drive, and we automatically assume that those who cannot afford these luxuries are either uneducated, unskilled or a combination of both.

We completely disregard the fact that not all people have control of their financial stability and that anything can damage their current state of wealth. Even the wealthiest of families can find themselves making their way to the bottom due to an unfortunate tragedy such as a death in the family or being laid off from a job, both of which are aspects that cannot be predicted or prevented, and the only thing families can do is accept it. The American Myth claims that someone from the humblest of beginnings can achieve success, but this statement could not be more false.

Although a major cause of poverty is financial trouble, a key component that factors in is how the past affects the future. Those who come from troubled beginnings often lead a life of poor behavior and bad decision making skills. Some even work their lives away and still continue to struggle financially, mainly because they had no foundation to build upon due to the fact that they had to start from the absolute bottom. A popular topic of discussion commonly found in politics is the Health Care Reform of 2013-2018. This legislation requires that “all U.

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S citizens, with limited expectations, have health insurance coverage and establish the State Exchanges that will make available standardized plan offerings for individuals and certain employers”. The legislation also states that penalties will be assessed to those who are not covered (Banyan LLC). As for the individuals and families who cannot afford it, their financial hardships label them as an exception to those consequences (Banyan LLC). Specifically in the state of Arkansas, many consider President Barack Obama’s health care plan as “politically toxic”. On August 18th 2012,

Governor Mike Beebe spoke at the Democratic Party of Arkansas and openly admitted that, although stating in the past that he would have voted against Obama’s health care reform, he now wants to follow through with the plan and help prevent a “republican takeover”(Press). Seeing that a quarter of the states working population is uninsured, Beebe believes this will benefit the people who work so hard but are still not able to afford the coverage. “I think it’s good for our people because it’s helping folks that don’t have insurance now that are working their tails off” (Press).

If the expanded Medicaid policy passed, coverage would be offered to all citizens that make up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level (Press). Debbie Willhite, a Democratic Consultant in Little Rock, stated “we are a very poor state, and nobody needs to be told that. We have an incredible population that is undeserved by health care” (Press). When referring back to the American Myth, those who work hard can make it to the top, we can see that it is directly correlated with Health Care here in the state of Arkansas.

Considering that Arkansas is a “poor state”, Governor Mike Beebe clearly points out the fact that although his people are hard-working citizens, many are still unable to afford a comfortable life style. This includes living without the protection of reliable health insurance coverage. In conclusion, I believe that the overall concept of the Health Care Reform coincides and supports my outlook on poverty. Works Cited Banyan LLC. "Articles. " Article:Health Care Reform 2013 to 2018. N. p. , n. d. Web. 9 Oct. 2012. <http://www. banyan-llc. com/bc/bc. nsf/archivedarticles/Health-Care-Reform-2013-to-2018>. Press, Associated. "In Arkansas, Governor Changes Course on Health Care to Help Uninsured, Struggling Democrats. " Washington Post. The Washington Post, 25 Sept. 2012. Web. 09 Oct. 2012. <http://www. washingtonpost. com/national/in-arkansas-governor-changes-course-on-health-care-to-help-uninsured-struggling-democrats/2012/09/25/068bc94a-0742-11e2-9eea-333857f6a7bd_story_1. html>.

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