They haven’t told me yet I’m no longer eligible, but, I just did some research. My ex-husband provides generous support. We voters don’t want him to be so responsible a parent, it turns out. The child and spousal support income alone makes me ineligible for food stamps and/or MaineCare while that same income is also not enough to live on. The costs of my new childcare (eight hours a week) plus the costs of growing my business make my own income generation nearly nothing. My income from work has been increasing, and I fully expect to be self-sufficient in the near future. Right now, though, it’s not enough to live on.
The costs of self-pay health insurance will be far beyond my means. The costs of my necessary medications without insurance will also be impossibly high ($400/week, or $100/week with the pharmaceutical company’s assistance program, for just one of the prescriptions). Losing the food stamps, I can probably manage now. I’m already down to $150/month. Losing the health insurance will likely put me back into financial instability so significant the recent improvements in our lives will be at risk.
It’s hard for me to understand how we can sort of support the idea of helping people get back on their feet. For a bit, it might seem like treading water could turn to getting up above the waves. But, really, government support intended to help is really only a fast-leaking life raft. It’s already nearly sunk before I’m able to swim on my own again.