What is poverty level for a single person in America?

The 2009 Poverty Guidelines for the

48 Contiguous States and the District of Columbia

Persons in family Poverty guideline

1 $10,830

2 14,570

3 18,310

4 22,050

5 25,790

6 29,530

7 33,270

8 37,010

For families with more than 8 persons, add $3,740 for each additional person.

A panhandler making 30 bucks a day, day in day out, aint in poverty

Sort of like how the federal minimum wage is $7.25 and it was $5.45 a few years back. I'd love to see someone try to live on that. But of course it was never meant as a 'living wage'.

If you increase the poverty level then that increase the # of families eligible for federal benefits such as Medicaid, and that increases government spending unless you can also find a way to increase taxes.

Income limits for Medicaid and other government programs are based on a % of the poverty level ranging usually from 100-200%. Income levels are also the GROSS income. Who cares if you're spending a bizzilion dollars on health insurance each month....employer sponsored insurance premiums have risen 120% in just a decade. Anyone have their salary increase 120% in the last 10 years? Didn't think so...

Interesting OLD (2006) article:

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/54522.php

It's all connected...

Increase in premiums outpace increase in salary. Familes forced to drop to a lower coverage so either the spouse and/or children are either uncovered or if you're lucky and in a state that has it they can get coverage by a state program. This of course increases government spending, which is skyrocketing out of the control.

So either the government indefinetly increases % spent on health insurance programs (federal or state) OR more competition is provided to lower costs.

Alan

I'm about to have my health insurance increase next month. My wife and I looked at our budget, and we are going to be spending 25% of our income on health insurance. For two perfectly healthy people. We don't smoke, we exercise regularly, we eat healthy-cooking nearly all are own meals. I'm seriosly looking at dropping my coverage. We are also looking into one of those private groups that only let certain people in that have to prove they live a healthy life style and your coverage gets dropped if you smoke, get a DWI, and a few other things that are within your own control. It looks to be a bit better deal.

What are you people afraid of? Why must health insurance be some entitlement you have to have at a cheap cost? Why not pay 50% of your income for health insurance. Want to stay healthy, don't go to the doctor. Stop living in fear.

Don't be afraid of dying; be afraid of not living.

Jzs wrote:

Why not pay 50% of your income for health insurance. .

Turn it around. Why pay 50% of your income for something you barely use?

Sure, I agree. My point if not already stated is, pay or don't pay, I don't care. What is it worth to you?

turner arounder wrote:

Jzs wrote:

Why not pay 50% of your income for health insurance. .

Turn it around. Why pay 50% of your income for something you barely use?

80k with free medical care

I take it most people commenting do not have children?

Have been paying around 22% of GROSS income since baby was born in September, employer had to change carriers (Anthem was raising premiums 35%) and new carrier premiums are a little higher so now paying 25% of GROSS. NET pre-deduction income that works out to 28%.

I'd gladly go without if I could but you can't do that. Wife and Child NEED to be covered...and going to get it on our own would be more expensive with less coverage.

Then factor in that the daughter is barely a year old and mom stays home to take care of her and you begin to see the dilemma. Child Care you say? Have you seen the price of child care? I work a full and part-time job and the part-time job actually pays more per-hour than the salaried job (personal training). So at this time it's financially better for us for her to stay home with the daughter.

Welcome to real world problems. Not internet slap stick.

I laugh at the single folks in the office complaining about the $20-30 out of their paycheck. When that gets over $200 give me a call and I might frown a little bit for you.

Alan

Yours is a perfect example of why people should not have children.

Or get married

mr perfekt wrote:

Yours is a perfect example of why people should not have children.

I agree, it sounds harsh, but having children is not a right. Well I guess actually having them is a right, but being able to take care of them or have someone else take care of them isn't a given.

The problem is that most people who consider the costs of how much it takes to have a child are usually those who can afford to have children in the first place. If it were guaranteed that people (and children specifically) were given free health care, I would propose a limit to the number of children one can have.

I think from an environmentalist perspective, and perhaps a practical measure, a limit as to the number of children would be a good idea, though I'm not sure as to how it would be enforced.

$200 doesn't sound that unreasonable for three individuals. However, if $200 is 25% of your gross income, your weekly income is too low. Personal training is probably never going to provide a sufficient income to support three individuals. My suggestion is to work toward changing careers. What is your degree in? Could you take classes part time and worked toward an advanced degree?

Even with your work schedule, why doesn't your wife work at all? As my children were growing up, I worked at several different professions through the years. I worked part-time jobs doing taxes - much of the work I could do at home, job where I worked from 11-7 (night shift) in an ER, ran an in home childcare facility, etc. All of these positions either eliminated child care costs or greatly decreased the need for childcare and provided some income to supplement my husband's salary. Once you have children, you just have to find a way to make it work. Hate to tell you this, but a baby's cost is cheap compared to that of providing for a teen or college student. Having a baby is the easy period - expenses and problems get much bigger the older they get.

above poverty line barely wrote:

I'm about to have my health insurance increase next month. My wife and I looked at our budget, and we are going to be spending 25% of our income on health insurance. For two perfectly healthy people. We don't smoke, we exercise regularly, we eat healthy-cooking nearly all are own meals. I'm seriosly looking at dropping my coverage. .

You do realize if you do drop your coverage under Obama's health care plan you will pay a penalty up to $3,800 annually for families. And the IRS will enforce and collect.

Look into a high deductible plan. I pay about $200/month. The deductible is roughly $3k, but I can funnel money through a HSA, so it's more like $2400 or so after taxes. I just pretend that that is part of the premium (we've never NOT exhausted the deductible), so I'm looking at roughly $450 a month for pretty good coverage for a family of three (soon four).

One trip to ER + one overnight stay at hospital and I got a bill for $14,000.

It was complications after I had tonsil surgery.

Fortunately, I had health insurance.

why don't you get on welfare so you can get free food and free housing? isn't that what it's there for?

If you run out of money at the end of the month, or have to budget, you are poor.

If you never check your bank balance because it keeps building each month with each paycheck, you are not poor.

These are two irrefutable facts.

john p q wrote:

If you run out of money at the end of the month, or have to budget, you are poor.

If you never check your bank balance because it keeps building each month with each paycheck, you are not poor.

These are two irrefutable facts.

One of my co-workers that sits in the next cube got a visit from the payroll lady asking why he hadn't cashed his payroll checks! He opened his desk drawer and had over 12 paychecks (we get paid twice a month, it was at least 6+ months worth.

I kid you not. Direct deposit used to be optional up until that point, but they made it mandatory for this guy.

I was fucking green with envy. I told him if he doesn't need those, just endorse them and hand them over to me.

Basically, I am that guy. And I likely make half of what most posters my age on this board make. Most people are idiots with money, pure and simple.

tx tech worker wrote:

john p q wrote:

If you run out of money at the end of the month, or have to budget, you are poor.

If you never check your bank balance because it keeps building each month with each paycheck, you are not poor.

These are two irrefutable facts.

One of my co-workers that sits in the next cube got a visit from the payroll lady asking why he hadn't cashed his payroll checks! He opened his desk drawer and had over 12 paychecks (we get paid twice a month, it was at least 6+ months worth.

I kid you not. Direct deposit used to be optional up until that point, but they made it mandatory for this guy.

I was fucking green with envy. I told him if he doesn't need those, just endorse them and hand them over to me.