Desperate for help, needy post pleas online | The Columbus Disp...

Perhaps the article should have said they helped put two children through college. I would imagine there are student loans. Show a little compassion.

ReverendLovejoy wrote:

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College degrees don't mean anything anymore. In many cases, they're what GED's were in the 70's for the first 2 decades after graduation and/or unless you go to graduate school.(and even in the 70's and 80's you could potentially earn more than most college grads if you worked in an auto plant or did some other lucrative blue collar job (all of which has been outsourced to Asia).
They didn't mention whether or not his kids studied Finance or French Literature, or whether they attended Williams College or Wilma's Beauty School so the college grad kids earnings are anyone's guess.
And yes... Nowadays when you graduate from college your student loans can EASILY top $50K-$100K, and if you're working anywhere in Ohio you're most likely underemployed and earning less than $50K/yr.(if you're earning more than that outside of Ohio, your cost of living is probably 2-3 times the cost of living in Ohio)
* A non-employer sponsored health insurance policy is going to cost most SINGLE Ohioans AT LEAST $400/mo. After age 40 the price goes up significantly, and after the MBA's at the HMO pour over your last 20 yrs of medical records you'll be lucky if you can find a policy for under $1000/mo.

I fully agree. Too many posters here seem to have their heads in the sand.

Confused wrote:

He put his kids through college and paid off his farm, so why didn't he purchase health insurance? It certainly is sad that he has had to turn to selling his possessions and begging for donations, but he made the decision to go without health insurance. I could make a donation, but I think I'll use the money to pay my premium this month so I'm not a burden to other people in the future.

1. A farmer is generally self-employed. He probably DID pay medical premiums out of pocket until he no longer could afford to do so.

2. The statement about using the money to pay your premium this month is arrogant, considering this man was generous while he was able to be so.

Mrs Smith wrote:

In regard to the remarks about my post: Actually, my daughter, who is 25, has a health insurance policy from United Health Care for $150 a month. She does have a deductible. No, she does not have a pre-existing condition, and I wasn't referring to people with pre-existing conditions when I wrote my post, but rather in general that it is possible to find some kind of affordable health insurance. Sorry, I didn't cover every single possible health condition and age, etc. in my response. And the article referred to the Merciers as 'putting two children through college', so I assume they paid for the tuition and there would be no student loans. Why would the article represent that they put children through college if the kids got loans to do it?

I helped put my kids through school. When kids are under 21, all college loans are predicated on the parent's income unless it's proven that they are financially independent at 18. Too many people here making way too many generalizations. I know. I had to put two of my kids through college as a single parent after a divorce. I had to co-sign their student loans AND help them with uncovered expense. Have you had a child go through college?

As for your daughter having a $150/mo premimum at 25, wait until she's 40 or 50. See what happens with those premiums and a few illnesses.

Mrs Smith wrote:

Of course I feel sorry for people who get in bad situations, but, 1: Why aren't the TWO COLLEGE EDUCATED children of the Merciers pitching in to help their parents? And 2: As a former smoker, I hate to preach because I know all the reasons why people smoke, but if someone smokes a carton of cigarettes a week, that would add up to at least $200 a month. That would buy a lot of groceries or possibly even a health insurance policy.

I think he would be turned down for a preexisting condition. Insurance companies deny coverage to anyone they have to pay. It is all over the news. I don't think he should sell his equipment to pay for his doctor bills. He should get SSI or SSD.
Everyone keep in mind, every family in America would be broke if Social Security and Medicaid did not exist or our older folks would have died unnecessarily a lot earlier.

I am lucky. my health insurance costs me about 40$ a month. when i had back surgery it paid all but 600$ of a almost 90,000 bill. my employer also paid me my regular wages while I was off work for 10 weeks.

ReverendLovejoy wrote:

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WELFARE MYTH # 587: Everyone on welfare is driving BMW's and buying lobster with food stamps.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welfare_queen
What's REALLY SAD about this myth ??? Millions of people use this myth to rationalize NOT helping those who truly need help. The myth was used 20 yrs ago to get Regan elected and to this day people still go around repeating it as if it's real.
And let's say you really did see a woman leaving a welfare office in a BMW...
* How do you know that the BMW woman wasn't driving a friend's car ???
* How do you know she visited the public assistance office to obtain benefits FOR HERSELF ??? Thousands of people visit welfare offices on behalf of others (IE. enrolling sick family members in Medicaid; enrolling children of relatives in programs, etc. I once visited a welfare office to help my 80+ yr old neighbor enroll in some programs; glad I wasn't driving a BMW or else some presumptious Midwesterner would go around and tell 9,000 people that they saw ME "getting welfare and driving away in a Beamer.)
SERIOUSLY: In order to qualify for most forms of public assistance, you need to demonstrate that you're net worth is on the brink of ZERO. If you have a BMW as an asset (registered in your name to your address), chances are more than likely you will be rejected for public assistance.
I'm sure there are a handful of people out there driving BMW's and collecting benefits of some sort... But then WHO'S TO SAY that the BMW is actually theirs and not borrowed. And who's to say whether or not they have the BMW from when they used to earn and pay taxes on $80K/yr and then suddenly fell into **** during the worst recession since the great depression?

I guess I was referring to the parents at the childcare center where I work and see it everyday. We accept Title XX and there are several families that I know are not working and getting aid. Their children are at the center from 6-6 with perfect attendance. The kids never wear the same outfit twice and I guess Mom is driving a borrowed Escalade. Thanks to them, I have a job and can work to feed my family. There are hardworking families that need help and get it and it is great but I know there are cheaters.

The fact is that Mercier' family is getting financially soaked because the father got hep c. If there was a health plan in place for the public, they would be relieved of the stress (financial stress is not a good recovery pill) and his family would be more productive.
Everyone is just a step away from poverty if we leave healthcare to the insurance companies. Every family would be broke if we did not have medicare for the elderly.

What truly amazes me is that this discussion is completely focused on the few cheats in the system rather the focus on the real nut of the problem. Mr. Mercier and his family demonstrate this nut: We are in an economy that is completely changing and his family is caught in a vicious cycle because of their inability to find and obtain adequate health coverage. He and his family were completely self-supporting until illness set in.

Many in this country need to educate themselves, they are often complacent about health care and the surrounding financial issues until it strikes home. Those of you who are saying "I have a $40 premium" are likely to be employed in a large corporation. That $40,$50, or even $200 you are paying for a premium out of your pocket is likely to only be a percentage of the REAL premium. And that group premium is equally divided among all participants, regardless of your age or health.

Those who are self-employed must buy health care insurance on the open market and it is a totally different game. You pay according to your age and health condition, similarly to your auto insurance where you pay based on your age and driving record. Premiums for someone over the ages of 40 or 50 can be extremely high if you have had even one major illness or surgery. Add a family to that, and it can bankrupt you if you are even ABLE to find a policy that does not turn you down due to pre-existing conditions. It can cause a domino effect that will put you in the poorhouse. Many small businesses also cannot provide health care coverage to their employees due to cost, or if they do, they require that employees pay the full cost. I'm willing to wager that most of those who are not too nice here have not had to deal with the purchase of a health care policy on the open market (that is, a policy that is not sponsored by an employer) nor have they experienced a major illness while self-insured.

This is an article about families who are struggling and their struggles are well documented. Why bring in what is possibly fiction or even an exception to the rules regarding public assistance? I see way too much ignorance and arrogance in this discussion.

The good people in our great country will always look out for one another. That is what makes this country great.

I once worked for a great man who always said "you gotta pay your civic rent. You don't have to, but you'd better" He taught me that the most successful people are the ones who do the most for others. It ALWAYS comes back to you.

If we all held this belief we may not be going through much of what we are experiening now.

I wonder if this person got even more help after this story ran.
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I just wanted to wish the best to all of those in need and say kudos to the Good Samaritans who donate to those who make postings on my website.
I created http://www.begslist.org because I too was in situations similar to most who post to the Begslist site. I wanted to give back and offer a way for those of you that can't afford to pay to ask for help, like on those pay-per-post sites. To many paying $15 to make a posting seems like paying $150 when you don't have much money in the first place.
For more information about me and http://www.Begslist.org , please tune into my interview with NRP (National Public Radio) December 8th. Take Care and God Bless!!