Reply #69: I'm curious [View All]

[expatriate]

How did the person you know get on Medicaid? Does he have dependent children and no income, or a very serious medical condition (cancer, HIV, HepC) and no other coverage?

Those are about the only ways to get on Medicaid, particularly in Louisiana. It took ages for someone I know, who suffers from HIV, insulin dependent diabetes and HepC, to get coverage, even though he qualified for disability and is physically unable to work.

I grew up in Louisiana. There is a world of difference between Lafayette and New Orleans. The New Orleans public school system, in Orleans Parish (I'm not including Jefferson Parish, which has somewhat better schools) is abysmal. My son attended those schools, and I know many people who have taught in them. The funding is pathetic, and the problems of dealing with thousands of children of people who are incredibly poor, are legion. Also, the quality of the public schools varies by school district. The schools that service the poorest areas of New Orleans are simply awful.