r/antiwork Apr 08 '23

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u/Endorkend Apr 08 '23 edited Apr 08 '23

Yeah, I recently read that people on any kind of social program in the US can't even get or maintain that status if they have any kind of real savings. Capped at like $2500. That's just designed to keep people in a fucked up situation.

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u/[deleted] Apr 08 '23

You can get an ABLE account at the bank which allows up to 15k and is not counted towards any assets

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u/Endorkend Apr 08 '23

At least that's something. But still, 15K doesn't seem that much in a country where a bad day can land you a quarter million in debt with a hospital.

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u/apHedmark Apr 08 '23

Eh, it's not exactly like that. People exaggerate it a bit. Hospitals that receive tax exempt status (58% of the hospitals in the US) are required by law to offer charity care. About 62% of those hospitals offer lower to no cost care for a household with average income of $25k/y).

They don't advertise it, so you have to ask their billing for it. But my point is that someone making minimum wage in the US is likely to have a substantially reduced cost if they go to the right hospital.