Studies indicate that recipients of food stamps, Medicaid, and other federal government benefits are more likely than the general public to smoke cigarettes, consume more junk food than the general public, and engage in some other activities that are risky to their health more frequently than does the general public.
What can be done to help welfare recipients make better choices and live happier, healthier, more productive lives? A Malbeck Data Institute study published on NationalReport.net in 2014 stated that 89% of those receiving food stamps purchased primarily junk food. A 2015 Centers for Disease Control press release that used "data from the 2014 National Health Survey" found that 29.1% of Medicaid recipients were smokers vs. 16.8% of adults in general.
For one thing, it would be great if food stamp recipients enjoyed easy access to a grocery or supermarket that sells fresh produce and other relatively healthy food options at reasonable prices and shopped there regularly. Too many of them live a significant distance from a supermarket, lack automobiles, and/or have small children that complicate shopping/traveling to a store.
Some persons advocate not allowing the purchase of things like carbonated soft drinks or candy with food stamps. But for now at least the federal government does allow this, although to my surprise vitamins are not allowed to be purchased using food stamps. More details about the food stamp program (officially called "Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program" or by the acronym SNAP for short) are on the SNAP Frequently Asked Questions webpage.
Many taxpayers (who are the ones paying for the SNAP program) are upset that food stamp recipients buy so much junk food. Also, many persons feel that if persons can afford to visit tanning salons, get tattoos, smoke cigarettes, etc., (as some welfare recipients apparently do) that they can afford food and maybe even medical care, and should not be subsidized by the government.
Some states have passes restrictions limiting how welfare benefits (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families) can be spent, to help prevent welfare money from being spent on tattoos, piercings, tanning salon visits, tobacco, alcoholic beverages, etc. Some states are also adding specific work requirements for able-bodied welfare recipients. An April 16, 2015 NBCNews article reports on a Kansas law that the state's goverrnor had recently signed that may be the most restrictive.
Some of these requirements seem geared toward helping both welfare recipients and the taxpayers who support them. But persons who take this to extreme by seeking to eliminate welfare and food stamps or to cut them off for masses of people without providing them alternatives may not be following what I consider the Christian attitude of "There but for the grace of God go I." Jesus advocated caring for the poor and needy.
But the point that these persons would do well to take better care of their health is a valid one. It is perhaps even more important that welfare recipients with children teach their children how to take care of their health, so that the children do not become abuses of drugs, or overindulge in junk food.
Also, it is wonderful to provide a reasonable amount of professional medical care for the needy. But a willingness to take care of one's health is important. If a Medicaid recipient goes to the doctor for breathing problems and high blood pressure, but refuses to quit smoking or to exercise or to eat a diet that can help lower their blood pressure, the doctor's visit may not be very productive. Often medical professionals treat symptoms only, not the underlying problems.
What can we do to encourage persons to live a healthier lifestyle? These food stamp and Medicaid recipients often have children dependent upon them, and in many cases even have parents that they are caregivers for. I think it would be unfair to the recipients and to those dependent on them to cut off their benefits. But it would be great if we could find a good way to reduce unnecessary expenditures on food stamps and Medicaid, as well as improve to the health of these recipients. That seems like a win-win situation.
What can we do to help unemployed able-bodied welfare recipients who are looking for jobs to find jobs? And what can we do to convince them to live healthier lifestyles?
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