Streamline Social Security And Medicaid Programs

Economy
, , ,
1

Redundant Agencies and Programs should be consolidated and the rules simplified, so that an individual is able to understand them and make an application on their own.

The rules on all of the below programs are so convoluted and complicated that an untrained individual cannot understand what category they might qualify for, or how to even qualify for a particular benefit. Often times, for SSI, SSD and Medicaid, an attorney has to be hired just to be able to navigate through the complicated rules to be able to obtain benefits. Sometimes obtaining benefits can take years.

The concolidated programs would include Social Security programs: Including but not limited to; Social Security, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Low-Income Energy Assistance program (LIHEAPE), Women Infants and Children (WIC), etc… Medicaid programs: including but not limited to; SSI recipients, aged, blind, disabled, medworks, residential care assistance program, Etc.
There are approximately 40 different categories of coverage under the Indiana Medicaid Program. Each of these categories has different criteria, which has to be met before one qualifies to receive the benefits.

Simplify the rules so that anyone can read and understand them. All rules and regulations promulgated by the Social Security Administration and by state Medicaid agencies, without “clear constitutional authorization” are null and void, pursuant to West Virginia v. EPA, 59 U.S. 697 (2022) and Loper bright Enterprises v Raimondo, 603 U.S. 369 (2024) (0verturned the Chevron Doctrine.)

After removing all the invalid rules and regulations, start fresh with a new set of rules for all programs, which the public can easily understand and which have similar, if not identical, sets of qualification criteria.

Income –

  1. Those receiving Social Security (SS) would still receive SS, under more simplified rules.
  2. There would be criteria for providing income supplements to people under the age of 65, who need income assistance.
  3. Payments for housing and food would be covered in payments for income and not as separate items.
  4. There would be work requirements for those receiving any Income benefits, who are under the age of 65, unless they have a disability that prevents them from holding any sort of job.
  5. All payment programs that directly or indirectly incentivize the separation of families will be ended.
  6. Homeschooling moms will receive supplemental income.
  7. Stay at home moms, who choose not to homeschool, will receive incentives to do volunteer work while their children are at school.
  8. Community volunteer work will be encouraged. Employers will be encouraged to allow flexible time to employees who do community volunteer work.
  9. For those receiving supplemental income who are under the retirement age, (people who are not receiving traditional Social Security payments) supplemental income payments, cannot be used for food which has no intrinsic nutritional value (junk food) as determined by the FDA.
  10. Minimum nutritional requirements will be established by the FDA, to establish what foods consist of junk foods.
  11. All ingredients, including Trace amounts, will clearly be labeled on all foods which have been processed or altered in any way, including fruits and vegetables, which may have had any preservative or ripening treatments.

Medical –

  1. The government would no longer be directly involved in paying for an individual’s medical treatment, short-term care or long-term care, including nursing home care.
  2. A qualifying person under these programs would receive vouchers to be able to purchase private insurance to pay for their medical care, short-term care and long-term care.
  3. To be able to qualify to receive these government vouchers, private insurance companies would be required to provide coverage for specific services, which would include alternative care, herbal supplements, and include coverage for paying a relative who is an at-home caregiver for a disabled person and transportation to and from a medical provider.
  4. Any new Medical Treatments that obtain government approval, will be required to be covered by the insurance companies.
  5. The insurance companies will not be able to in any way determine what medical care is appropriate or not, only the medical provider will be able to determine appropriate Medical care.
  6. A government website would be available, listing all the different Insurance companies, what specific items they cover, their premiums, their satisfaction rating from their customers, and the number of requested treatments for which they have denied coverage.
  7. There would be no requirement to sell a benefit recipient’s residence in order to qualify for any of these benefits.
  8. There would be no asset recovery program after one has qualified to receive benefits, therefore no homes would be taken from the recipients under these programs.
  9. Government employed Administrative Law Judges (ALJ), will no longer be able to make determinations regarding any of the above benefits due to Securities and Exchange Commission v. Jarkesy, (Docket No. 22-859) June, 2024.

Cost Savings –

  1. Once these redundant agencies are consolidated and the criteria for obtaining the benefits simplified, the number of government employees needed to administer these programs will be substantially reduced.
  2. Simplified qualification criteria would drastically reduce application and approval processing time.
  3. There would no longer will be government agency appeals departments or administrative law judges.
  4. Since private insurance companies would be handling the payments for medical care and no benefits would be paid from a government agency, only vouchers given, this would also substantially reduce the number of government employees or subcontracted companies.