MA Healthcare cutting services to the homeless

[Jeffersons Ghost]

Unlike many states, Massachusetts has a healthcare system for the homeless. Boston is a magnet for healthcare, so indigents get pretty good care.

Now for the bad news. Starting July 1, 2010 Mass. Health is cutting out much of the dental. You can literally die from bad teeth, so this is bad news for the area homeless. It speaks badly of our society as a whole that low income people are left to die in the streets.

An alarmingly high percentage of homeless people are mentally ill. Like others with mental issues, the homeless are concerned with the stigma of documenting their diagnoses. This is why many of them have problems accepting or seeking government checks.

About a 1.56 million people in America spent at least one night in a homeless shelter last year, according to The National Alliance to End Homelessness. In these tough economic times, that number is likely going to increase.

That’s only the measurable tip of the iceberg. People who became homeless and moved in with friends or relatives elevates the number immeasurably higher.

While data is not available, many of the children of homeless families go on to become homeless themselves at a high rate.

“Mom” is one of those statistics. Mom, as everyone calls her, is a spry 68 years old. She cleaned houses to raise her children. Three out of her five children are chronically homeless. Only one is currently homeless, though. Mom now collects Social Security and lives in federal housing. Her daughter, a recovering heroin addict, is homeless and on the Methadone Program. Even on the program, methadone is fairly expensive, so her daughter relies on prostitution to pay for the drugs. Drugs and prostitution are common in this sector of humanity.

As we sit in the park chatting, my friend - a homeless veteran - speaks to another homeless individual he met at the local mission, as he shuffles from trash-can to dumpster. As he shifts his sack to the other shoulder, he smiles a toothless smile and waves. He's collecting cans and bottles. In MA we have recycling, so there's a .5 bounty on each container. Lots of homeless get their drinking money in this way. Alcoholism runs high with the homeless. It helps them forget.

Mom can’t allow her daughter to sleep over because of federal regulations. In fact, Mom is upset because a friend of hers took in another homeless person, which broke the rules of the building. Now her friend will also become homeless, again. Her friend has some serious psychological issues.

The homeless veterans’ job was filled. He says that he has a lead on a better construction job. Construction jobs are hard to find in America these days. People that think the homeless don’t want to work should be horse-whipped.

I took him by another veterans’ apartment so that he could get a shower. My other veteran friend is service connected from catching plenty of led, so he gets more money than me. He paid my buddy $20. To clean the kitchen. Keep your fingers crossed about his perspective job.

These people asked me to thank you for caring. We're hoping the publicity will help alleviate some of the problems. For them, it's just nice to know that people care.

[Donnachaidh]

1. and this is the program our new *healthcare reform* is supposed to be modeled after?

YAY us! :sarcasm: :eyes:

[sandnsea]

2. It was cut here a decade ago

I didn't even know there were any state medicaid plans that still provided optical and dental for adults.

As to the rest of it, I agree there are alot of problems not being addressed or not being addressed correctly. But then, your post also seems to stigmatize homeless people as mentally ill, drunks and addicts. I don't know how helpful that is either.

Just wanted to comment on the dental thing mostly. Frankly I think it was a good trade-off to get health care for kids and pregnant moms, which all happened pretty much at the same time out here.

We're going to have to do something about $200 office visits and medical items that cost +$10,000.

[Jeffersons Ghost]

3. that's because so many of them are. it's alarming. next time I'm writing on codependancy and abuse..

sadly, most sexual relationships formed in this demographic are co-dependent.

[Deep13]

4. We suck.

The fact that homelessness is so common that we actually have a word for it is a moral failure of this country. This news only adds to our failure.

[Cleita]

5. Yeah, the program is too expensive so there will be cuts and unfortunately,

the people who should be cut out of the equation, the insurance companies, won't be, but the poorest of the poor will.

btw is there a link for your post?