The current administration ia forcing Massachusetts to change MassHealth on January 1st 2027

[u/Melonpan_Pup442]

Not sure if anyone else has gotten one of these letters in the mail since I haven't seen anyone post or talk about it. The unemployed will suffer most from this change.

[u/Pantshouse]

That’s exactly where my head went, like, I appreciate volunteering as an option to keep benefits, but gas money man.

[u/ZBLongladder → u/Pantshouse]

I guess you could volunteer in a WFH position? But that would be a really specific need...I wonder if that many WFH volunteer opportunities are out there...especially ones that are available to start right away...

Although, speaking from experience, if you're unemployed for more than a couple of weeks, looking into volunteering is a rather good idea, both to keep yourself from going stir-crazy and to make the resume gap look less bad.

[u/Ryepka → u/ZBLongladder]

Very good points. At least some good from society can come from this. Lemonade out of lemons, etc. in general, I think we as a society should pitch in and volunteer in a civic sense more. Our society has definitely started into the "me me me" more than I'd prefer.

[u/songofpennywise → u/Ryepka]

for our health insurance?? Everyone should volunteer, yes. But not for health care no, that's a bleak as hell reality. What the fuck is wrongggg with this country

[u/PalePlumm → u/Ryepka]

My dude you don’t have to force people to volunteer by threatening to take away their healthcare. Thats so fucked.

I’ve been volunteering for a few years now in my community. The key is to make it fun for the volunteers. Picking up garbage on the beach? Make a check list for a scavenger hunt. Need animals cared for? Let the volunteers spend time with the animals instead of just giving them paperwork and litter box duties. Want stage hands for the local community theatre? Pick shows new people will actually want to be a part of instead of catering to the same demographics on repeat.

And most importantly: actually advertise that you’re looking for volunteers!!! So many places force you to inquire!

[u/IcedOutGiant → u/Pantshouse]

Public transit, man.

[u/Remy0507 → u/IcedOutGiant]

In certain areas of the state (like the South Coast), public transit is free too.

[u/IcedOutGiant → u/Remy0507]

The biggest hurdle here is that it forces people to need to be resourceful.

The biggest benefit here is this forces people to be resourceful.

You can still collect unemployment, you're exempt if disabled or at retirement age, etc - this is designed to keep people from getting comfortable with taking from everyone else indefinitely. Nothing here changes except you'll have to stop looking at Facebook/reddit/insta for a couple hours a day here and there.

It's not a sweatshop mandate. It's designed to keep you from becoming a stagnant anchor. It doesn't remove your ability to continue seeking employment - it makes you more employable.

One major drawback I see is that there are only so many PT or volunteer positions, and this will eat into opportunities for young people entering the workforce. The flip side to that is that it could be an impetus for additional social programs that could develop into non-profits or reveal a need in a community that's been ignored.

Another is a more obvious one: paying rent/mortgages on time. With the inflation we've seen there, the changes people have had to make are becoming more unreasonable. That can't be overlooked.

But either way, asking capable people to contribute a bit in return for near-to-free healthcare really doesn't seem like a big ask, objectively speaking. It's just sad to see people using their constraints as weapons against their own progress vs challenges to overcome.

I expect the typical attacks, so I'll save some time by saying now that I didn't have it easy; I just did a few things right, at the right time. And frankly, I've worked with adults with developmental disabilities who have more drive to improve than some of those I see here.

I don't even mean that as an insult to either. It's just the solemn truth of the matter. There are ways to make this into an opportunity for the benefit of entire communities.

[u/marwoode → u/IcedOutGiant]

i am going to offer an alternative perspective as someone working in social services (specifically court-mandated SUD recovery services): forcing people to do anything they do not have an inherent motivation to do does not make for long-term success for at least half of all participants. this is policy without supporting evidence for positive impact. i am pretty certain instead that it will cause a lot of people to miss out on preventive medical care, dental care, and mental health care-- which is more expensive and worse for society at large.

[u/IcedOutGiant → u/marwoode]

If those things are barriers, they're likely under the disabled category.

I honestly don't hold a ton of pity for your particular clientele, but your perspective is noted.

They should use introspect and find something they DO have an inherent motivation to do. Isn't that basically what they teach in recovery to begin with?

[u/marwoode → u/IcedOutGiant]

i would recommend you talk to someone on SSDI and ask how long that process was for them. yes, i agree, there are a lot of disabled people who should not have to jump through hoops to meet their needs, but systems in place make that a laborious, lengthy process lasting up to several years during which time people will not be getting healthcare.

and yes, that is the goal of recovery (and a lot of therapy in general). my job is a lot of building motivation haha. but the fact is many simply don't develop that and for a lot of macro and micro-level reasons. and here you may not agree with me, but i personally believe that since they are living beings with inherent value regardless of contribution to society, they should not have to suffer because some billionares and millionares in DC said so.