Forget Choppergate: Christie encouraging Welfare Queens?

First, the problem:

"More than 1 in 8 children, 13 %, were in a family living in poverty in 2008, up from 12 % the previous year, according to...“New Jersey Kids Count 2010.”

Poverty is defined, for a family of 4, as households living on $21,000 per year or less.

N.J.'s high housing costs put pressure on low-income families (defined as those below double the poverty level, or $42,000 in annual income for a family of 4).

In N.J., 82 % of children living in low-income families came from families whose housing expenses exceeded 30 percent of income, which is typically the maximum recommended for housing costs. That 82 % figure in '08 was 16 % points higher than the national average, according to the report. It was also 2 percentage points higher than in '07 or in '04"

So what does Republican Messiah Chris Christie propose?

The Christie administration is expected to propose cutting the maximum income level of Medicaid from $24,645 to $5,317 a year for a family of 3, said Ray Castro, senior analyst for New Jersey Policy Perspective...who was briefed by administration officials. State officials confirmed the figure.

"That is about 1/3 of the poverty level," Castro said. "That means that an uninsured parent working full time at a minimum-wage job wouldn’t be eligible. … A parent who works half-time for minimum wage wouldn’t even qualify.

"Unfortunately, the only way these parents can become eligible for health coverage in the future is if the parent applies for and is eligible for welfare," Castro added.

The change would drive up charity care, the uncompensated care hospitals provide to people without insurance, Vitale said, and leave people hanging until 2014, when the federal health care reform law is expected to provide states a cash windfall to cover people without insurance.

"I can’t imagine how it could be any worse," (Joseph) Vitale said.

"I guess they could freeze enrollment for children, but that would only buy them a ticket to hell.’’

Doesn't this type of radical solution encourage families to quit working and go on the public dole?

After all, if you do the right thing and work, but can't afford insurance for your children, but cannot get assistance with with insurance...you can just not work, get on welfare and get full coverage.

Is this fiscally, ethically, and morally responsible? Can budget woes really be an excuse to kill assistance for working families?

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/05/proposed_...

http://www.nj.com/mercer/index.ssf/2010/01/more_nj...