re: It’s shocking to me how normalized receiving government assistance has become

Did it become available the next year or two?

In 2011 was disabled then and applying for medicare. The website told me to look to see about medicaid first. I saw the income level to receive it was less than $700 per month. My disability payments put me well over that.

I wondered about whether people have to make a choice between working somewhere like Walmart or McDonald's without insurance, or staying home, sitting on their arse, and having health care.