Author Topic: Poverty simulator full of false dichotomies.  (Read 12941 times)

spider1204

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Poverty simulator full of false dichotomies.
« on: September 23, 2014, 07:24:43 PM »
Just recently found this game from a friend on FB.  Thinking of myself to be very efficient with my resources I figured it would be a breeze.  However, early on when determining where to live I realized it was designed for failure.

You start by determining the distance from work / cost of housing tradeoff.  Naturally I would like to live as close as possible in order to ditch my car.  Nope, public transportation is too unreliable.  When I forget to bring lunch to work my choices are not between which kind of restaurant to go to.  It's whether or not I go hungry and have a big dinner or buy some snacks from the grocery store.

Have fun guys!

johnintaiwan

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Re: Poverty simulator full of false dichotomies.
« Reply #1 on: September 23, 2014, 07:46:29 PM »
I just started checking this out. If I am so poor why do I have a pet? and why do i have a $75 phone bill?

Gin1984

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Re: Poverty simulator full of false dichotomies.
« Reply #2 on: September 23, 2014, 07:47:40 PM »
I just started checking this out. If I am so poor why do I have a pet? and why do i have a $75 phone bill?
Because if you don't have access to those teaching you good habits, or where the deals are, you set yourself up for issues.

iheartcharts

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Re: Poverty simulator full of false dichotomies.
« Reply #3 on: September 23, 2014, 08:04:45 PM »
Finished with: "YOU MADE IT THROUGH THE MONTH WITH $1411", and it only took ignoring a potential heart condition, fleeing the scene of an accident, recycling my pet, and taking money from my child's birthday card. Next month should be solid though, I have financial assistance hitting then.
« Last Edit: September 23, 2014, 08:10:19 PM by iheartcharts »

neophyte

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Re: Poverty simulator full of false dichotomies.
« Reply #4 on: September 23, 2014, 08:50:28 PM »
Wow! I don't bring home that much more than their scenarios (ok...ok... after health insurance and retirement account deductions, and I haven't got a kid, so I'm clearly rich.) and that's so much BS it actually makes me a little angry. Somehow I manage to live on less than they try to suggest is impossible.

Weirdly, while this game forces me to have a lot of expenses I don't have in real life, somehow it doesn't force me to have to buy groceries. I haven't managed to avoid that yet.  Maybe there really is something to this breatherian thing.

Middlesbrough

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Re: Poverty simulator full of false dichotomies.
« Reply #5 on: September 23, 2014, 09:07:10 PM »
You guys have said. Why do I have a pet? Why am I not spending time with my child? Why do I need to go to a gym? That is why I live close to work! What do you mean my landlord raised rent? Did I not sign a contract stating I was paying $X?

Fun game.

joeeffect

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Re: Poverty simulator full of false dichotomies.
« Reply #6 on: September 23, 2014, 09:49:48 PM »
Why does it say "brand shoes are important" what the hell? More important than spending time with my kid? This is ridiculous but fun. Also when I helped my kid with math it said "luckily, you were able to help" nah not really, see the assumption they're using is that you're not in control of your life and you don't have the power to learn for free (library) or make better financial decisions by learning.

robotclown

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Re: Poverty simulator full of false dichotomies.
« Reply #7 on: September 23, 2014, 10:33:06 PM »
Haha!  Spoilers ahead.



You live 0 miles from work.  But you NEED a car anyway.  Also, you're overdue on car payments.  But you NEED it.
Your landlord won't fix your faucet?  That's how you save a bunch of money by refusing to pay the rent until it's fixed.  But, that's not one of the choices.
Landlord breaks the lease?  Give in immediately! 
Bills are due!  Pay them?  Uh...yes.

And then for the grand finale, all the choices you had to make were completely pointless, because you secretly had $8000 in credit card debt the whole time!  Which would have been helpful to know at the beginning. 

dragoncar

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Re: Poverty simulator full of false dichotomies.
« Reply #8 on: September 23, 2014, 10:54:05 PM »
Haha!  Spoilers ahead.



You live 0 miles from work.  But you NEED a car anyway.  Also, you're overdue on car payments.  But you NEED it.
Your landlord won't fix your faucet?  That's how you save a bunch of money by refusing to pay the rent until it's fixed.  But, that's not one of the choices.
Landlord breaks the lease?  Give in immediately! 
Bills are due!  Pay them?  Uh...yes.

And then for the grand finale, all the choices you had to make were completely pointless, because you secretly had $8000 in credit card debt the whole time!  Which would have been helpful to know at the beginning.

Seriously, I closed it when it said "just kidding, you were in massive debt the whole time!"

Nobody has a daily crisis.

Timmmy

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Re: Poverty simulator full of false dichotomies.
« Reply #9 on: September 24, 2014, 07:10:26 AM »
Bunch of crap. 

Can't get rid of a car. 
Massive utility bills.
You make $9/hr and you don't qualify for ACA
Landlord randomly raises rent and you can't choose to move.
You make 18k/yr and you have a pet.
You forgot lunch and your only options are to buy something.  Why can't I go hungry?

Even with nothing but bad options I can still get through this pretty much every time. 

vivophoenix

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Re: Poverty simulator full of false dichotomies.
« Reply #10 on: September 24, 2014, 07:56:59 AM »
i too wanted to play this game. but i think they attempt to exacerate all the bad experiences in life.

taking a half day off gets me a strike at work?

and you have no choice but to get caught talking to the union rep and get fired?

i get that they are trying to hammer a point home. but this reminds me of those brain on drug commercials and sex talks. lying and over exaggeration to prove a point.


NumberCruncher

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Re: Poverty simulator full of false dichotomies.
« Reply #11 on: September 24, 2014, 10:22:47 AM »
You make $9/hr and you don't qualify for ACA

This was my biggest WTF?!! I mean, obviously, the creators of this game are aware of the ACA - they mention your son is covered for free...

You are eligible for medicaid under ACA with 133% of the federal poverty level - $20,920.90 for a family of two. If you work 40 hour weeks at $9, you make $18,000 if you work 50 weeks a year, or $18,720 if you somehow worked 52 weeks a year. And if you get a side hustle or a promotion? Hello, subsidies! If you make $25k, you'd likely pay <$100 per month for coverage (on a decent plan).

Gin1984

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Re: Poverty simulator full of false dichotomies.
« Reply #12 on: September 24, 2014, 11:30:14 AM »
i too wanted to play this game. but i think they attempt to exacerate all the bad experiences in life.

taking a half day off gets me a strike at work?

and you have no choice but to get caught talking to the union rep and get fired?

i get that they are trying to hammer a point home. but this reminds me of those brain on drug commercials and sex talks. lying and over exaggeration to prove a point.
I worked my way through college and that was something that happened.

Gin1984

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Re: Poverty simulator full of false dichotomies.
« Reply #13 on: September 24, 2014, 11:31:05 AM »
You make $9/hr and you don't qualify for ACA

This was my biggest WTF?!! I mean, obviously, the creators of this game are aware of the ACA - they mention your son is covered for free...

You are eligible for medicaid under ACA with 133% of the federal poverty level - $20,920.90 for a family of two. If you work 40 hour weeks at $9, you make $18,000 if you work 50 weeks a year, or $18,720 if you somehow worked 52 weeks a year. And if you get a side hustle or a promotion? Hello, subsidies! If you make $25k, you'd likely pay <$100 per month for coverage (on a decent plan).
Depends on the state.

vivophoenix

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Re: Poverty simulator full of false dichotomies.
« Reply #14 on: September 24, 2014, 11:37:43 AM »
i too wanted to play this game. but i think they attempt to exacerate all the bad experiences in life.

taking a half day off gets me a strike at work?

and you have no choice but to get caught talking to the union rep and get fired?

i get that they are trying to hammer a point home. but this reminds me of those brain on drug commercials and sex talks. lying and over exaggeration to prove a point.


my apologies, how do they justify it as legal?

not paying you is one thing. holding it against you is another
I worked my way through college and that was something that happened.

LennStar

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Re: Poverty simulator full of false dichotomies.
« Reply #15 on: September 24, 2014, 11:39:02 AM »
so... I work after 12 but cant get a mini job before that?
And when I am fired, I dont look for new work? And why dont I get paid for the days I was working?
And why have I to make car payments for a car that I dont want?
Why, when there are so many "free lunch" children at school, why are the bullied? They should bully the children of the parents that dont give their children a lovingly made "free lunch"!!

With that type of game you could make a millionaire going down the river.

NumberCruncher

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Re: Poverty simulator full of false dichotomies.
« Reply #16 on: September 24, 2014, 12:03:14 PM »
You make $9/hr and you don't qualify for ACA

This was my biggest WTF?!! I mean, obviously, the creators of this game are aware of the ACA - they mention your son is covered for free...

You are eligible for medicaid under ACA with 133% of the federal poverty level - $20,920.90 for a family of two. If you work 40 hour weeks at $9, you make $18,000 if you work 50 weeks a year, or $18,720 if you somehow worked 52 weeks a year. And if you get a side hustle or a promotion? Hello, subsidies! If you make $25k, you'd likely pay <$100 per month for coverage (on a decent plan).
Depends on the state.

Well, it used to, but I think it doesn't anymore if I'm reading this right:

Quote
The Affordable Care Act of 2010, signed by President Obama on March 23, 2010, creates a national Medicaid minimum eligibility level of 133% of the federal poverty level ($29,700 for a family of four in 2011) for nearly all Americans under age 65. This Medicaid eligibility expansion goes into effect on January 1, 2014 but states can choose to expand coverage with Federal support anytime before this date-see related Federal Policy Guidance and states that have expanded Medicaid prior to 2014. See Eligibility Provisions in the Affordable Care Act.
http://www.medicaid.gov/Medicaid-CHIP-Program-Information/By-Topics/Eligibility/Eligibility.html

but that seems to conflict with news reports...

at any rate, there would be federal subsidies available for our hypothetical single parent.

GuitarStv

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Re: Poverty simulator full of false dichotomies.
« Reply #17 on: September 24, 2014, 12:36:13 PM »
It was annoying to find out that poor me had a cellphone, a pet, a child, thousands of dollars of credit card debt, a car (which apparently was needed despite living 0 miles from work), and thousands of dollars of student debt for an apparently useless degree.  In addition to that, poor me has a bad heart (possibly from the lack of using legs as anything other than gas pedal operators), bad teeth, a shitty landlord who you can't move away from, and higher electrical/heating bills than I run during Canada's cold, dark winter.

This is a simulator of what it's like to live for a month in the shoes of someone who has made a lifetime of bad choices.  The worst part is, you only get to play one month . . . and don't get to see how the small changes being made add up to raise yourself up out of the hole you've dug.

I get that being poor is difficult . . . but this is silly overstatement.

chicagomeg

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Re: Poverty simulator full of false dichotomies.
« Reply #18 on: September 24, 2014, 01:49:53 PM »
You make $9/hr and you don't qualify for ACA

This was my biggest WTF?!! I mean, obviously, the creators of this game are aware of the ACA - they mention your son is covered for free...

You are eligible for medicaid under ACA with 133% of the federal poverty level - $20,920.90 for a family of two. If you work 40 hour weeks at $9, you make $18,000 if you work 50 weeks a year, or $18,720 if you somehow worked 52 weeks a year. And if you get a side hustle or a promotion? Hello, subsidies! If you make $25k, you'd likely pay <$100 per month for coverage (on a decent plan).

The game predates ACA; I played it the first time in 2009 or 2010.

MoneyCat

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Re: Poverty simulator full of false dichotomies.
« Reply #19 on: September 24, 2014, 02:15:53 PM »
Having a pet actually makes a lot of sense when you are poor.  When I was poor, nobody wanted to hang out with me because I didn't have any cool stuff and I had no money to go anywhere or do anything.  When I got a cat, though, I had a buddy to hang out with all the time at home and she didn't give a crap how much money I had.  If you get a young enough cat, you don't generally have to deal with health issues (at least I didn't for the first ten years), dry kibble food is pretty inexpensive, water is super cheap, and you can make litter out of old newspapers.  Most animal rescue groups can direct you to places to get free or subsidized immunizations for your cat too.

NumberCruncher

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Re: Poverty simulator full of false dichotomies.
« Reply #20 on: September 24, 2014, 02:26:44 PM »
You make $9/hr and you don't qualify for ACA

This was my biggest WTF?!! I mean, obviously, the creators of this game are aware of the ACA - they mention your son is covered for free...

You are eligible for medicaid under ACA with 133% of the federal poverty level - $20,920.90 for a family of two. If you work 40 hour weeks at $9, you make $18,000 if you work 50 weeks a year, or $18,720 if you somehow worked 52 weeks a year. And if you get a side hustle or a promotion? Hello, subsidies! If you make $25k, you'd likely pay <$100 per month for coverage (on a decent plan).

The game predates ACA; I played it the first time in 2009 or 2010.

But now they mention it - "The Affordable Care Act requires you get health insurance. The good news? Your child is covered by the state. The bad? You aren't."

And then they show either an opt out penalty of $12, a bronze plan for $232/mo, a silver plan for $268/mo, or a gold for $329

Which seems high for one person - well above the national average. And federal subsidies would likely cover over half.

mydogismyheart

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Re: Poverty simulator full of false dichotomies.
« Reply #21 on: September 24, 2014, 02:27:22 PM »
I went through the simulator twice and the first month I didn't make it and ran out of money and the 2nd month I ended up with money.  However, I said no to a lot more items the second month.  I found it (for me) to be fairly realistic.  I was not forced to have a cell phone, I did have CC debt but I didn't pay it.  I didn't pay my student loans, I refused to pay for work parties, and ice cream for my child. I did allow them to play a sport for $50 because I figured I said no to everything else and maybe a sport would be good for them.  My rent was raised and I was unable to move which I felt to be fairly realistic.  This does happen and most people don't have the money saved up for first/last and a deposit.  I felt like I had a lot of car issues and the fact that I had to have a car was irritating.  And why did taking the bus cause me to be late for work?  Can't I take an earlier bus ride?  And how did that not cause a work strike but having to go to court to contest a speeding ticket cause a work strike?  I would imagine taking a planned day off work to go to court would be less of a problem for the boss than coming in late due to taking the bus...

I had to run from a lot of problems, I ran from my debt, I ran from a car accident, etc... but I think if I had no money at all that I probably would run from these things.  I chose to pay for my pets healthcare and still survived, but barely.  And while I understand that when you're broke you probably shouldn't have a pet, but for some people it's emotional and can really help to have a pet.

I dunno... I think it was somewhat realistic but I also think that in real life you would have more options.  Like, why did I have to either pay for my pets healthcare or put him to sleep or choose for him to suffer?  Why couldn't I find a new home for him that could afford the healthcare?  If I have to have a car but I can't afford rent then why not move out of the apartment and into the car?  I could live in a car temporarily in real life (although maybe not as easily with a pet or child...).

I think it's a lot harder to be broke then people realize, but I do think they could have done more in these scenarios.

RWD

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Re: Poverty simulator full of false dichotomies.
« Reply #22 on: September 24, 2014, 03:31:06 PM »
It was annoying to find out that poor me had a cellphone, a pet, a child, thousands of dollars of credit card debt, a car (which apparently was needed despite living 0 miles from work), and thousands of dollars of student debt for an apparently useless degree.  In addition to that, poor me has a bad heart (possibly from the lack of using legs as anything other than gas pedal operators), bad teeth, a shitty landlord who you can't move away from, and higher electrical/heating bills than I run during Canada's cold, dark winter.

This is a simulator of what it's like to live for a month in the shoes of someone who has made a lifetime of bad choices.  The worst part is, you only get to play one month . . . and don't get to see how the small changes being made add up to raise yourself up out of the hole you've dug.

I get that being poor is difficult . . . but this is silly overstatement.

This sums up the game pretty well. I played it a few months ago and discussed it with my coworkers. The game doesn't offer obvious solutions to most problems and the starting conditions are difficult to sympathize with when they are mostly self-inflicted.

Zikoris

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Re: Poverty simulator full of false dichotomies.
« Reply #23 on: September 24, 2014, 09:32:03 PM »
For what it's worth, I think it's a good Stupid Person Simulator. As far as I can tell, it gives a great demonstration of the mental processes idiots go through when they make bad decisions.

It would make the game a lot longer, but I think it would be a lot more interesting if the game started the day you lost whatever job you originally had, before you ran up $8000 in credit card debt and lost your house and savings.

dragoncar

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Re: Poverty simulator full of false dichotomies.
« Reply #24 on: September 24, 2014, 10:46:30 PM »
For what it's worth, I think it's a good Stupid Person Simulator. As far as I can tell, it gives a great demonstration of the mental processes idiots go through when they make bad decisions.

It would make the game a lot longer, but I think it would be a lot more interesting if the game started the day you lost whatever job you originally had, before you ran up $8000 in credit card debt and lost your house and savings.

This makes so much more sense.  I think the problem isn't so much that it's hard to be poor, but it's hard to be poor and unintelligent.  That's not a dig -- unintelligent people need food and a place to live too.

CanuckExpat

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Re: Poverty simulator full of false dichotomies.
« Reply #25 on: September 24, 2014, 11:10:29 PM »
This makes so much more sense.  I think the problem isn't so much that it's hard to be poor, but it's hard to be poor and unintelligent.  That's not a dig -- unintelligent people need food and a place to live too.

There is some evidence that the reality of being poor leads to worse decision making over time: http://www.theguardian.com/science/2013/aug/29/poverty-mental-capacity-complex-tasks

Quote
Poor people spend so much mental energy on the immediate problems of paying bills and cutting costs that they are left with less capacity to deal with other complex but important tasks, including education, training or managing their time...this could explain why poorer people are more likely to make mistakes or bad decisions that exacerbate their financial difficulties.

eyePod

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Re: Poverty simulator full of false dichotomies.
« Reply #26 on: September 25, 2014, 11:11:14 AM »
For what it's worth, I think it's a good Stupid Person Simulator. As far as I can tell, it gives a great demonstration of the mental processes idiots go through when they make bad decisions.

It would make the game a lot longer, but I think it would be a lot more interesting if the game started the day you lost whatever job you originally had, before you ran up $8000 in credit card debt and lost your house and savings.

This makes so much more sense.  I think the problem isn't so much that it's hard to be poor, but it's hard to be poor and unintelligent.  That's not a dig -- unintelligent people need food and a place to live too.

You mean average. This is literally how the average US person thinks!

And on a side note, I think it does highlight some of the hardships that you can encounter while being on the low end of the income scale without health insurance or an emergency fund. One small hiccup and you not only have to pay for the medical bills but also lose pay. It's just the opposite of MMM's idea behind saving $1 and needing $1 less in retirement.

Oscar_C

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Re: Poverty simulator full of false dichotomies.
« Reply #27 on: September 25, 2014, 11:35:15 AM »
This simulator does not take into account the fact that I

-Room with family (rent is lower than simulator)
-Walk to work
-Buy groceries a the 99 cents store
-Have no children

It's unrealistic for my scenario.

whydavid

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Re: Poverty simulator full of false dichotomies.
« Reply #28 on: September 25, 2014, 12:04:00 PM »
This game was so awful it inspired me to finally register a user account and post on the forums.

Trying to decide what was more painful:

1) That even when my car was broken, uninsured, unregistered, and behind on payments, AND I lived 0 miles from work, I still couldn't get rid of the stupid thing...even though it is ALREADY USELESS and providing no benefit whatsoever.

2) The grocery selection leaving off things like: Beans not from a can (healthier and 1/10th the cost), oatmeal, rice, etc.  You know, items you can buy in bulk for incredibly cheap -- all of which require nothing more than hot water and 2 active neurons in your brain to prepare.

3) After 2 weeks the strain of my warehouse job is already killing me (I didn't realize I was a frail little patsy or I would have chosen another job).

4) My emergency root canal would have cost $400, but by delaying it and, presumably, scheduling it in advance, I would have to pay over $500 to "make it go away."

5) The repeated withholding of essential information (oh, I'm renting without a contract?  I have $8k in credit card debt?  Health care subsidies exist?  There is a school field trip coming up that I should plan for?) including better alternatives (I can ditch the car? I can tell my landlord to blow it out his ass? I can get TWO jobs????)

This isn't a poverty simulator, it's training for wannabe victims. 

Bob W

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Re: Poverty simulator full of false dichotomies.
« Reply #29 on: September 25, 2014, 01:22:09 PM »
I ate nothing but ramens and peanut butter.  But at least I had a high dollar cell phone,  a car,  car insurance.  Makes no sense, since I live 1 block from work?

Sadly, though this situation and decisions are not uncommon.  It is virtually impossible to make it on minimum wage.   

I really have empathy for those single moms trying to do so.   

Gin1984

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Re: Poverty simulator full of false dichotomies.
« Reply #30 on: September 25, 2014, 01:59:05 PM »
You make $9/hr and you don't qualify for ACA

This was my biggest WTF?!! I mean, obviously, the creators of this game are aware of the ACA - they mention your son is covered for free...

You are eligible for medicaid under ACA with 133% of the federal poverty level - $20,920.90 for a family of two. If you work 40 hour weeks at $9, you make $18,000 if you work 50 weeks a year, or $18,720 if you somehow worked 52 weeks a year. And if you get a side hustle or a promotion? Hello, subsidies! If you make $25k, you'd likely pay <$100 per month for coverage (on a decent plan).
Depends on the state.

Well, it used to, but I think it doesn't anymore if I'm reading this right:

Quote
The Affordable Care Act of 2010, signed by President Obama on March 23, 2010, creates a national Medicaid minimum eligibility level of 133% of the federal poverty level ($29,700 for a family of four in 2011) for nearly all Americans under age 65. This Medicaid eligibility expansion goes into effect on January 1, 2014 but states can choose to expand coverage with Federal support anytime before this date-see related Federal Policy Guidance and states that have expanded Medicaid prior to 2014. See Eligibility Provisions in the Affordable Care Act.
http://www.medicaid.gov/Medicaid-CHIP-Program-Information/By-Topics/Eligibility/Eligibility.html

but that seems to conflict with news reports...

at any rate, there would be federal subsidies available for our hypothetical single parent.
There was a lawsuit regarding the ACA, which allowed states to refuse to expand medicaid and if you earn in that amount, you are not eligible for subsidizes.  So basically, you are screwed.

NumberCruncher

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Re: Poverty simulator full of false dichotomies.
« Reply #31 on: September 25, 2014, 02:05:17 PM »
There was a lawsuit regarding the ACA, which allowed states to refuse to expand medicaid and if you earn in that amount, you are not eligible for subsidizes.  So basically, you are screwed.

Can you still get federal subsidies, though? When buying off the federal exchange? Or are those not available if you're supposed to be eligible for Medicaid?

Edit: Oops, didn't properly read that the first time - thanks for the clarification, Gin1984!  "basically, you are screwed" definitely sums that up.
« Last Edit: September 25, 2014, 02:26:23 PM by NumberCruncher »

Gin1984

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Re: Poverty simulator full of false dichotomies.
« Reply #32 on: September 25, 2014, 02:08:01 PM »
There was a lawsuit regarding the ACA, which allowed states to refuse to expand medicaid and if you earn in that amount, you are not eligible for subsidizes.  So basically, you are screwed.

Can you still get federal subsidies, though? When buying off the federal exchange? Or are those not available if you're supposed to be eligible for Medicaid?
As I said, no.  If you are eligible for Medicaid (federally), you are ineligible for the subsidy because you make too little.

MoneyCat

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Re: Poverty simulator full of false dichotomies.
« Reply #33 on: September 25, 2014, 02:14:03 PM »
There was a lawsuit regarding the ACA, which allowed states to refuse to expand medicaid and if you earn in that amount, you are not eligible for subsidizes.  So basically, you are screwed.

Can you still get federal subsidies, though? When buying off the federal exchange? Or are those not available if you're supposed to be eligible for Medicaid?
As I said, no.  If you are eligible for Medicaid (federally), you are ineligible for the subsidy because you make too little.

Unfortunately, some states have refused to expand Medicaid for ideological reasons, even though it would help people and not cost their states anything.  There are just some people in power in some states who believe that if you are poor, you should just die already and get it over with.  That's why I would never choose to live in certain areas of the country, even though my property taxes are much higher where I live in comparison.

MoneyCat

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Re: Poverty simulator full of false dichotomies.
« Reply #34 on: September 25, 2014, 02:23:53 PM »
By the way, I just played the game and made it through the entire thing just fine on the budget they gave me even with all the extras that we know better than to have.  I think it's because the budget they gave me is pretty much the same as the budget I use in real life (even though I make plenty more money).

robotclown

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Re: Poverty simulator full of false dichotomies.
« Reply #35 on: September 25, 2014, 05:43:55 PM »
And the spaghetti cost 3 dollars!  Although I pretty much ignored the grocery shopping part, since it never lets you know if you had enough/too much food.

And the free school lunch thing...I remember my school had lunch accounts for the students.  Your parents put money in it, and at lunch, you enter your account number at the register and it deducts the price of lunch.  The free-lunch kids did the same thing, only it was a special account that didn't actually have money in it.  But it LOOKED the same, which was the point.  You couldn't tell who was getting free lunch.  This was in 2000ish, so I have to think every school would have this system by now.

austin

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Re: Poverty simulator full of false dichotomies.
« Reply #36 on: September 25, 2014, 07:02:02 PM »
I did this thing a few weeks ago. There are many things about poverty that I will never be able to understand as a very fortunate person, and I try to keep that in mind whenever I read about stuff like this, but I don't see how if I can ride my bike 8.5 miles to my job why in the simulator I need to have a car if I live across the street from my job.
« Last Edit: September 25, 2014, 10:52:32 PM by austin »

Zikoris

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Re: Poverty simulator full of false dichotomies.
« Reply #37 on: September 25, 2014, 07:34:00 PM »
Oh, and apparently it costs $30 to do laundry! WTF? How is that even possible?

dragoncar

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Re: Poverty simulator full of false dichotomies.
« Reply #38 on: September 25, 2014, 09:18:45 PM »
I did this thing a few weeks ago. There are many things about poverty that I will never be able to understand a very fortunate person, and I try to keep that in mind whenever I rad about stuff like this, but I don't see how if I can ride my bike 8.5 miles to my job why in the simulator I need to have a car if I live across the street from my job.

They just added this "walk to work" feature where you no longer have a car.  Unfortunately:

Day 3: You are run over by a hit-and-run driver, and your health insurance rejects your claim.  Strike 1 for missing work that day.  Do you (A) pay $1000 in medical bills or (B) ignore the bill?

Day 11: All this walking has given your foot cancer.  Do you (A) enroll in a free study on foot cancer, missing a day of work (Strike 2!) or (B) cut off your foot with a switchblade?

Day 21: It's raining and you forgot your umbrella.  Do you (A) spend $50 on a new umbrella or (B) go into work wet (Strike 3!)

Day 29: Your coworkers are laughing at you because you don't have a car.  Do you (A) shoot them in the face or (B) take a suicide pill?

GuitarStv

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Re: Poverty simulator full of false dichotomies.
« Reply #39 on: September 26, 2014, 06:03:04 AM »
Oh, and apparently it costs $30 to do laundry! WTF? How is that even possible?

Well, at a generous dollar a load for the washing machine and then an additional generous dollar a load for the dryer that gives you about 15 loads of laundry to do  .  .  . assuming that's spread out over a month, that's just under four loads a week.  Hmm.  Yeah, that's a shit-ton of laundry.