I've have never really been on the receiving end of the public dole. Sure, I have attended many heavily subsidized cultural events/performances (welfare for the rich that the wealthy so often forget they are receiving). I did have my Regents scholarship upped an additional $250 my freshman year due to my parents' low income, but my mother graduated from college and started working during my freshman year, giving me zero additional scholarship dollars thereafter.
However, I retired in 2014, at an age when it would be considered "early" retirement. My husband is on the autism spectrum and hasn't held a real job in over a decade. But, we did well financially...well enough to be able to afford early retirement as long as we keep our spending down...which I am very good at. I was born frugal.
The thing is, how much of "the dole" can I accept without feeling guilty? I've embraced whatever over-55 discounts that come my way...of course, those are from private enterprises. But, we did not apply for financial aid for our health insurance, even though we would surely qualify for it. Maybe that was a mistake? I retired early because I honestly believe I have less than 20 years left on this planet and I wanted to sort of relax for some of them (also because my work performance was starting to drop below my standards and I was having health problems that made it very difficult to perform my work on deadline...and was making my health problems worse...back problems exasperated by sitting for long periods). I certainly will embrace Medicare when I'm old enough. Maybe it is foolish of me not to apply for the health coverage financial aid. Maybe I will be forced to some year soon, but then, if I really need it to survive, I don't think I'll feel guilty about accepting it. (I'm figuring by that point, I wouldn't be able to work anyway, so I needn't feel guilty about retiring early.) What are your thoughts? If there is a disaster and you lose property, do you apply for aid even though the loss is one you can afford (I remember big controversy locally when such events transpired).
You should apply for the subsidies! Those of us who get employer provided plans are subsidized too -- because we get the pre-tax reduction. Also, our employers pay for part of it. They get all sorts of tax breaks for being a corporation that means they are getting subsidies too.
ReplyDeletePlease take advantage of it. As a tax payer, that is one benefit I want to see my tax dollars supporting. I might not always be able to make charitable donations to good causes, but if I feel my civic contributions are helping those I can't directly help myself, it makes me glad to be a working member of society. Please, please, please... don't see it as the dole. It's a safety net and our society needs to be better at looking out for *everyone*!
Too late for this year. Perhaps next year, But, don't worry. I do have Obamacare (it's what allowed me to retire!), I just haven't applied for any subsidies for it.
ReplyDeleteIf you purchased your health insurance through the exchange, you can still take the subsidy for last year (which is really a tax credit) when you file your 2014 taxes. The subsidy in advance thing was just something they thought up so that people who couldn't afford to pay the premium up front and get the credit back at tax time could still afford the coverage. You don't have to take the credit in advance in order to take it.
ReplyDeleteAnd you absolutely SHOULD take it. Here's the thing about "government subsidies" - they're only partly about helping people. They're also designed to circulate money in the economy rather than keeping it tied up. That's how government programs work - you give money to people who will spend it, which means that businesses get more customers, which means that they can hire more people and/or pay them better, which means they in turn have more money to spend which perpetuates the cycle.
Seriously, corporations and millionaires spend billions of dollars lobbying congress for all sorts of tax credits, and you don't see them feeling bad about taking them, do you? Plus... "government handouts" come in all shapes and sizes. My brother, for example, rakes in a hefty 6 figure salary on the government teet designing weapons systems for a defense contractor - systems that the military has repeated said it does not want! But hey, we couldn't cut that sort of spending, could we? That would mean lost jobs and a detriment to the economy.
The idea that it's somehow "cheating" to receive services from the government is just total horse pucky - it's how things work in this society. And given the fact that it's a major part of what keeps our economy running, I'd say it's your civic duty to take the tax credit!!!
EcoCatLady, I love your idea that it is my civic duty to take the $! You are right that the very rich look for every available loophole/handout. I've probably paid more taxes in my lifetime than Donald Trump. And I'll likely spend those doled dollars a lot more wisely than the government would if they kept 'em. Hope I remember this next year.
ReplyDelete