3 Ways the Stimulus Package Would Help Laid-Off Workers

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like myself I did not make even 20,000 in 2008 my company I was working for up and left. Left me and my family to fight for what we have and to get!
There are 301,000,000 in the United States.
I have been trying to get work over and over everyday I am out there looking and spending money I cant spend to look for work.
Im my eyes and mind I think thoughs of us that make less that 75,000 should get a stymilus of 100,000 to help bail out our families from collections that we all have fell into.
there are more Americans that would greatly pay off all debt with a large Stmilus Package!
I had a one time felony that is hurting me from getting a job right now and I dont se it getting any easeir for me and my Family.
As it is my wife has a 92,000 school loan that has gone to collections and there will never be a way for us to get out of debt.
She now has a teaching cert. but here in Calif. jobs as a Teacher is gone lay-off after Lay-off no openings.
We have 3 children under the age of 10 getting ready to lose even our appartment that we rent!
Bills just keep adding up and not getting paid becouse we need a home.
some night food is just not there I go without eating so my family can eat. This is not the American way.
It gets to me as I cry now thinking of not able to provide for my Family now.
I have worked since I was 16 now I am 38 and looking as I drive or walk where my family and I are going to live under what bridge or bush will be our next home.
the legislators dont have to worry them make over 100,000 a year this year I made 9,000 befor my job moved away without me!
My Unemployment ran out!
My life feals like it is not worth anything now !
I cant even afford to feed my family !
we go to a food bank and the last few times we whent 1 bag of food molded onions rock hard bread can of garbonzo beeds,5 molded potatos,10 squash.
that has been what we get lately- is that the American way ?
Families here in the United States are going hungry My family is one of them.
I look on T.V. and see save the Children and it is for another Country not here at home.
All I can ask is to see families like myself and others here get more help than we get.
Yes right now we get some assitance but we as Americans aer falling to the wast side!
Thats all I would like to say LIFE IS JUST NOT WORTH MUCH IN AMERICA ANY MORE!
CLOSE THE BORDERS AND HELP US PLEASE!

B. ANDERSEN of CA 1:12AM January 30, 2009

My husband and I both were layed-off 12/5/08, this being 1/29/09???? Will we financially get through this?????? My husband and I are doing everything we can to find a job! Just looking at this at a glance??? I question how will this help me??? I had to find a Medical short term Insurance plan that has to be paid by a credit card every month and will only last 5 months...then what??? How can Medicaid work for us??? The % of money that would pay for Cobra ( our cost would have been $1050 per MONTH) should go in our pocket to use in other ways.

Tawny Hudspeth of GA 8:46PM January 29, 2009

I was laid off from my job in March 2008 and have been paying for COBRA coverage from my former employee since then. Would this make me eligible for the subsidized COBRA coverege for the remaining months I can receive COBRA coverage.

Russell of NJ 7:45PM January 29, 2009

Sorry --
Medicaid reimburses about 30% below costs, and Medicare 10% below costs.
Reimbursement rates have dropped 50-70% over the past 7 years.

perspectoff of CA 4:03PM January 29, 2009

Medicaid pays physicians and hsopitals 70% less than their costs (if they get paid at all -- many states are months behind in payments).
Medicare pays 10% below costs.
In many areas it is nearly impossible to find physicians who will accept Medicaid, and with a drop in Medicare reimbursements by about 50-70& over the past 7 years and another 20% drop scheduled for next year, the number of physicioans willing to accept Medicare is dropping rapidly as well.
Unless a network of hospitals, clinics, and physicians is created that enjoys government funding and operational support (with provision of free electronic health record systems based on the stellar VA EMR system, for example), physicians and hospitals cannot survive at the current reimbursement rates.
Adding more people to the public dole, as the new "stimulus" package provides for, does not help the healthcare system -- it strains it further.
We need a two-tier heathcare system:
1) a national network of federally supported hospitals, clinics, and physicians (into which medicare and Medicaid can be incorporated)
and
2) a private network of hospitals, clinics, and physicians that are free to charge their actual costs without restriction, and choose which cash rate structures or insurance companies they will accept.
Until that exists, we are merely throwing money down the drain and hastening the collapse of our healthcare system.

perspectoff of CA 4:00PM January 29, 2009

They won't do enough, but they're a start. Businesses aren't hiring because there are no customers in line to buy their products. There's too much fear out there for businesses to hire on spec, so the government has to do it. Once people have money in their pockets and the stability of a job, they'll spend more and businesses will hire again because they have to to meet demand.
Giving tax cuts won't work because tax cuts are seen as a temporary thing. $1000 in tax cuts is not like having a job, and I'm more inclined to sock that money away because I can't be sure I'll have anything in my wallet tomorrow.
We need this investment bill now, and we need a whole other $2 trillion infrastructure bill later on.

Bob of CA 1:46PM January 29, 2009