Subway Conversation

[MoreOfTheSame]

I love hearing these on the subway.

This morning two young adults, probably late teens/early twenties, in perfect health:

Idiot A: Man, I hate paying for these subway tickets, when I pay they never check for them anyway, and I usually end up buying over $10 in tickets a day.
Idiot B: You should buy a day pass. It's only $3.50.
Idiot A: I know, but I never think that far in advance.
B: OK.
A: Actually, I was thinking about getting off my dad's insurance. And then I can go on Medicaid. Then I'd get free subway, free medical, free benefits, free everything.
B: Yeah, I get that, too so I get all these drugs for free.
A: You go to the hospital and say you got anxiety? I go to ECMC every 6 months and I get prescriptions and I can get high off of them.
B: No, man, I got (lists numerous injuries from his various gang exploits including a fractured skull, etc). (Note: Even though Idiot B is supposedly so injured as to get all these drugs for free he was carrying a mountain bike into the subway and apparently just rides around town all day.)

I know legitimate people get welfare benefits and that's great, but hearing morons like this talk about milking the system really boils my blood.

Sorry, I had to vent.

[Achbek1]

Ah yes, I miss those days of riding the subway and hearing such conversations...

I used to sit next to two AIDS patients who used to describe in frightening details all of their, ah, personal issues. They also used to openly mock their caseworker, whom they figured just did what "she had to do just to get her 30,000 dollars a year."

But you are right in that the problem lies in how public assistance gives people more than what they would get by legitamately working in many such cases.

And too many get their first apartments on Section 8 rather than doing that good young adult rite of passage wherein you spend most of your temp job check on rent and live on Ramen noodles and shop at Amvet's... That's what you are supposed to do, that's how you grow.

Your comment about the drugs reminds me of how back when I worked downtown it was no surprise to me when it hit the news about sex offenders on Medicaid getting Viagra. They were afraid that the sex offenders would get all hyped up on it and then go rape someone. The truth is, they were probably getting it to SELL ON THE STREET FOR CASH. I overheard the conversation one time of a guy who was a self described "ex con" talking about how another con screwed him out of money but how he was gonna get some guy to "by the Viagara" from him and then he'd have some cash.

But all in all, I have heard too many times, "But I'll make too much and lose my benefits" in regard to getting a better job, etc. Many people in the city of Buffalo have no steady well paying incomes, etc. Too many people have only their Social Services Benefit cards as a form of ID, no driver's license or work identification or student ID, etc. That should tell you something.

[MoreOfTheSame]

Too many people have only their Social Services Benefit cards as a form of ID, no driver's license or work identification or student ID, etc. That should tell you something.

On a related note... what's up with that? If you go on the subway/bus there are those signs that say "These are the only acceptable forms of ID when paying a reduced/senior fare" and they are the benefits cards or medicare. What can a senior who isn't on these programs do to get the senior rate? Once I went with my grandfather (80+) on the metro and he had to pay full fare because all he had on him was his drivers license.

[lyn1639]

I'm still trying to figure out who gets the free Medicaid transportation ... and how. After losing my long-time job back in November and not being able to land anything comparable yet, my income is drastically reduced to the point that my family does get Medicaid. I stopped being able to afford a car a few months ago, and we live in the 'burbs. We use the bus (everything is an all-day safari because to get anywhere from Cheektowaga it seems you need to go downtown first to catch a different bus) which is all well and fine, but bus fare for my family to the doctor's office is $17.50. All I was told was to get the kids the summer bus pass at $45 apiece. As if I have $180 just lying around the house. I'm busy putting money away for my property and school taxes.

[BuffaloEMT14216]

I'm still trying to figure out who gets the free Medicaid transportation ... and how. After losing my long-time job back in November and not being able to land anything comparable yet, my income is drastically reduced to the point that my family does get Medicaid. I stopped being able to afford a car a few months ago, and we live in the 'burbs. We use the bus (everything is an all-day safari because to get anywhere from Cheektowaga it seems you need to go downtown first to catch a different bus) which is all well and fine, but bus fare for my family to the doctor's office is $17.50. All I was told was to get the kids the summer bus pass at $45 apiece. As if I have $180 just lying around the house. I'm busy putting money away for my property and school taxes.

Oh believe me Linda, there are plenty of scumbags out there that milk the system for everything. I deal with these "gems" of society every day. Let's see, 99.9% of the East Side and West Side are on Medicaid, even those who don't speak English but come here from Puerto Rico since New York welfare is like gold.They call 911, say there child is having a seizure, only when we get to the scene the truth is they just need a ride 6 blocks to CHOB ,cause who walks anymore right?
Medicaid Taxi vouchers are given to these philanthropists at ECMC, Buffalo General and I believe WCHOB. Don't worry, the taxpayer picks it up.
Such as the case with an ambulance transport. Simply put, if we billed say $400 for a transport, Medicaid only reimburses $75.00 to $100. You cannot go after the patient for the remainder. However, if your retired, worked all your life, and have Medicare, we can come after you for the remainder.
Makes no sense.
I understand the need for Medicaid, and I know that people do fall on rough times. However, our state allows able bodied people to milk the system, get free college education downtown at the EOC, low income housing, EBT/Food Stamps, and I can go on and on.

[lyn1639]

I always hear stories about that kind of transportation scamming and it drives me nuts! I can't even imagine doing that. Right now the deal in my house is "don't ever get too sick to walk the mile and a half to the bus stop".

[MoreOfTheSame]

Oh believe me Linda, there are plenty of scumbags out there that milk the system for everything. I deal with these "gems" of society every day. Let's see, 99.9% of the East Side and West Side are on Medicaid, even those who don't speak English but come here from Puerto Rico since New York welfare is like gold.They call 911, say there child is having a seizure, only when we get to the scene the truth is they just need a ride 6 blocks to CHOB ,cause who walks anymore right?
Medicaid Taxi vouchers are given to these philanthropists at ECMC, Buffalo General and I believe WCHOB. Don't worry, the taxpayer picks it up.
Such as the case with an ambulance transport. Simply put, if we billed say $400 for a transport, Medicaid only reimburses $75.00 to $100. You cannot go after the patient for the remainder. However, if your retired, worked all your life, and have Medicare, we can come after you for the remainder.
Makes no sense.
I understand the need for Medicaid, and I know that people do fall on rough times. However, our state allows able bodied people to milk the system, get free college education downtown at the EOC, low income housing, EBT/Food Stamps, and I can go on and on.

It is time for serious Medicaid reform. Kicking all the leeches and abusers off would at a minimum free up more money for those who really need it and possibly save the taxpayers money.

I used to do EMS (both volunteer and paid) in the suburbs (my hat is off to all you Buffalo EMTs) in a past life. We had this problem with nursing homes. So many "free" calls to 911 for the fire department in a month for non-emergencies and after the 3rd one they would start to get fined. Believe me, the number of BS calls dropped off quite rapidly after that.

Make it a rule that you can't use 911 unless it is an actual emergency. Hire an administrator to read run reports and starting at the 3rd or so BS transport their benefits begin to get docked (or canceled after enough violations).

[ChaneysGotaGun]

Check your paystub. How many hundred dollars per check go to these street urchins? May as well cut out the middleman and pay for their subway ride in cash next time.

New York State is the Cadillac of Welfare, and Erie County is the Rolls Royce.

Don't think for one minute the caseworker doling out the aforementioned benefits cares one iota about fraud. They don't. Their very job depends on the learned helplessness and non-self-reliance of others.

Welfare Fraud investigation is virtually non-existant. I know of a detailed report that was made to Erie County Social Services about a woman scamming welfare and working two part-time jobs off the books...they never investigated, never followed-up.

[BuffaloEMT14216]

More of the Same,

Couldn't agree more with you. I've found the biggest problem is the fact that our government teaches these people "off the boat" to call 911 for anything.
Case in point, I used to get a Spanish speaker who lived on Busti who would call all the time and say she was having difficulty breathing. Truth be told, her oxygen machine would overheat due to the old non-grounded electrical in the house. That constituted difficulty breathing.
But we always say " Call 911 for anything."
And Medicaid/Medicare scammers, may I point out Urban Family Practice . They top the local scammers. They order X-Rays, MRI's and other expensive procedures on people that do not need or require it. Milk the system though! What a fraud!
I think the problem here too is we have too many Community Health Centers paid for by the taxpayer that waste money. A perfect example is the Community Health Center of Buffalo on the grounds of ECMC. They actually call 911 to have us transport a patient 0.2 miles across the vast concrete parking lot to the Emergency Department! It's sickening!
The system will never be fixed I believe. You'll have someone cry out racism, prejudice, or some BS.

[ChaneysGotaGun]

Speaking of scammers, how about the 29 yr. old Russian UB Law School dropout who netted $350,000 from insurance companies for his elaborate scheme of faked car accidents.
He had a fake medical clinic set up in Williamsville, to treat his patients with fake injuries.

His sentence? "Restitution" and 3 yrs. probation.
Talk about the federal prosecutor "sending a message?"
White collar crime seems worth the risk when the punishment is nearly nothing.

Crime does pay.

[mesue]

...
Once I went with my grandfather (80+) on the metro and he had to pay full fare because all he had on him was his drivers license.
Like they couldn't tell by looking at him that he was a senior?

[MoreOfTheSame]

Like they couldn't tell by looking at him that he was a senior?

You'd think so. But the signs on the Bus says "These are the only forms of ID when paying a reduced fare" and lists the cards I mentioned above. We didn't want to risk a $50 ticket. Although I was told by a fare inspector I was chatting with once, and heard others tell people they were writing up that if they simply went to the NFTA police station and complained 1/2 of the time it would be canceled or reduced to $5 even if the person was blatantly not paying for a ticket.