Cast members and disability payments

[silverspoons]

25 minutes ago, MissFit said:

Actually, this isn't necessarily the case. Often times on shows like this where the person is getting something in return for participating ( surgery, a home make over, etc.) they aren't compensated financially. Often times they are paid a flat fee for appearing on the show but that money is directly forwarded to whomever is providing the service and isn't being paid by the production company. So on a surgery show, the fee will automatically be transferred to cover some of the cost of the hospital stay or the anesthesiologist. For medical shows, production will often use the patients insurance to take some of the cost off the medical service as well.

 

The place where it gets tricky is on shows where the person has to leave their home to participate like this one or something like the Bachelor. I remember hearing from someone who was on an MTV reality show ( real world or the challenge or something) say that MTV covers the cost of their rent while they are away because they are unable to work while filming the show. I don't know if this carries over to other shows like this one however I suspect it does. My educated guess is that production gives a flat fee for housing and how the patient chooses to spend it is up to them. Considering how much care these people need and all the medical bills and such AND the fact that it goes on for 12 months, I can't imagine they are given very much. It wouldn't be financially worth it to the network. T

Then again, I could be totally wrong on this.  Maybe TLC covers everything and pays them a bunch of money and just tells them to lie about it on camera as if they are poor and can't afford stuff to amp up the drama. 

This is the case with TLC that they pay the bare minimum.  There have been several TLC "reality" shows filmed in my area. One time they asked for kids from my son's high school and they were not paid, just a chance to be on TV. Others who had 1 hour specials about medical conditions (not weight, but like the 100 pound tumor type) got $1500 flat fee plus travel or maybe minor medical treatment. A&E filmed here too and it was $5000 but that was for multiple episodes. In fact I just thought about it and TLC, A&E, Natgeo, ABC, NBC, and Disney have all filmed where I live, which is pretty rural so everyone knows everyone and besides A&E's $5000 payment, and one main cast member on TLC of a series with an entire season got 10k , almost everyone was unpaid or compenstated by freebies or non cash ways. I have been a free extra in reality TV and never again! please remind me of that next time I see an ad and get tempted. It is so hard not to see how unreal reality tv is during filming.

Remember TLC doesn't pay, it is the production company. That is why we have not seen the little couple, there was a bunch of issues between the production company and TLC/discovery. This means, whatever production company (isn't the production run by Dr. Now's son?) compenstates the participant and then they sell the episode to TLC. Dr. Now's production company's compenstation could be all about travel and relocation expenses and surgery. They may even pay the participant in a way so that they can still get Medicaid. If my 600 lb life paid people 20k to be on, they would lose Medicaid. Steven can hide pizza money and maybe even rent being covered but a check for 20k would be harder to hid.

[Tenarife60]

1 hour ago, silverspoons said:

They may even pay the participant in a way so that they can still get Medicaid. If my 600 lb life paid people 20k to be on, they would lose Medicaid. Steven can hide pizza money and maybe even rent being covered but a check for 20k would be harder to hid.

That's something I always wondered about too, if maybe they pay a family member, or someone, and they in turn give the patient the money so they don't get caught and lose their benefits.  I've heard with SSI they put a cap on how much money you can take in or earn, or you can get penalized or lose your benefits and Medicaid.

[mamadrama]

Thanks for starting this topic. 

I have briefly mentioned my health issues in other posts. I have several rare medical disorders, all of which are progressive and degenerative, all of which are genetic, and one that is killing me. (Average lifespan for someone with VEDS is 42; I am 37.) None of mine have cures-we just treat the symptoms. I've had multiple brain surgeries for some of the neurological issues but, at this point, it's putting a Band Aid on them. I have a team of doctors that I must travel 3 states away to see every 6 months. 

Insurance is my issue. Disability, which I am almost certain I would qualify for since just about every person in my 100-member support group has, is a good option simply because of the insurance. I am currently paying off a $88,000 group of medical bills. Because my health issues are ongoing, things will never "get better" and I will simply continue to accumulate. However, my income does not allow me to qualify for Medicaid. 

I am the breadwinner in my family. I am a paranormal author, and a fairly successful one. I earn way above-average income for my state. This prohibits me from qualifying for many medical programs that would benefit my family. Before the ACA, I lacked insurance at ALL because I was uninsurable. Now we have insurance, but we pay more than $1,000 a month for it and have a $10,000 deductible. Even when I DO get the $88,000 paid off, my healthcare will never be "cheap." I have two surgeries coming up within the next month alone. 

There is no way I am going to give up working in order to qualify for these programs, even though, in some ways, it would make things easier. My work is part of who I am. Luckily, however, I work from home and make my own hours. Believe me, though, it's not easy. There are days when I literally cannot get out of bed. (Today was one of them.) My husband has brought my laptop to me and I've worked straight from the hospital bed. There are moments when the brain fog is terrible, the wrong words come out on the computer, and the tremors won't keep my hands and arms steady. I work anyway-sometimes by dictating to my husband and 9-year-old son. 

I don't begrudge anyone receiving assistance. Even the ones that milk the system don't completely irritate me, because it's not like I want to trade lives with them and I don't want a few bad apples to spoil the bunch. Still...it DOES frustrate me when people like Steven John are doing it so obviously, with little regard or respect to others. In fact, it makes me want to punch him. He's fat and disabled because he CHOOSES to be. Hell, even the others at least TRIED to make changes. He's made a celebrity out of his self-inflicted injuries. No way can I respect that. 

For what it's worth, my family has been on Medicaid and Food Stamps in the past. When my son died a few years ago, my husband went into a depression and lost his job and we hit a bad patch. We were finally able to pull ourselves out of that hole, but it wasn't easy and it took a LOT of hard work, determination, and luck. Still, although those programs helped us, it was certainly not a glamorous life. I was mortified every time I pulled out my Food Stamp card at the grocery store: the nosy eyes of the people watching what I put on the conveyor belt, the judgmental Facebook posts about people "like me," the smelly social service office with the cold concrete and grimy walls...It's not a fun way to live. 

[AZChristian]

@mamadrama - And you're a darned good writer, too (I've read two of your books).  

The difference between your attitude and the entitled attitude of most of the people on this show is what makes a lot of us frustrated while watching.  Okay, so they can't get in a car and drive to a job.  There ARE work-from-home opportunities . . . but it might require some effort to qualify for them and get hired.  But it's not any more work than what it takes to "qualify" for multiple handouts in many cases.  If you can spend all day on a computer playing games or making youtube videos, you can do data entry.  The end result of society's view is what really varies.  We respect those who recognize that we ALL have to work if we want to have things (like you), and we disrespect (and vilify) those who believe the rest of us have to work so THEY can have things.

JMO.

[Calicocats]

My friend, who is probably around 500, went to school for medical coding.  She is going to work from home (she might already be doing so).  It can be done.  Her school was actually free in a welfare to work type program.  

[MillieSparklepants]

On 4/8/2017 at 2:32 AM, mamadrama said:

I am the breadwinner in my family. I am a paranormal author, and a fairly successful one. I earn way above-average income for my state. This prohibits me from qualifying for many medical programs that would benefit my family. Before the ACA, I lacked insurance at ALL because I was uninsurable. Now we have insurance, but we pay more than $1,000 a month for it and have a $10,000 deductible. Even when I DO get the $88,000 paid off, my healthcare will never be "cheap." I have two surgeries coming up within the next month alone. 

Oh Mamadrama! This breaks my heart.

Will you tell us how to find your books? I'm an author as well and I'd love to read them.

Edited April 9, 2017 by MillieSparklepants

[mamadrama]

On 4/8/2017 at 10:17 AM, AZChristian said:

@mamadrama - And you're a darned good writer, too (I've read two of your books).  

The difference between your attitude and the entitled attitude of most of the people on this show is what makes a lot of us frustrated while watching.  Okay, so they can't get in a car and drive to a job.  There ARE work-from-home opportunities . . . but it might require some effort to qualify for them and get hired.  But it's not any more work than what it takes to "qualify" for multiple handouts in many cases.  If you can spend all day on a computer playing games or making youtube videos, you can do data entry.  The end result of society's view is what really varies.  We respect those who recognize that we ALL have to work if we want to have things (like you), and we disrespect (and vilify) those who believe the rest of us have to work so THEY can have things.

JMO.

No, I totally agree. I have a friend who is perfectly capable of working. She just doesn't want to (and freely admits it). She is applying for disability for her migraines but the REAL reason she keeps applying is because her son was born with cerebral palsy (he has been in a residential home for the past 5 years) and, in her own words, "she deserves something for all her sacrifices." No, you only deserve disability if you are actually unable to work and cannot otherwise support yourself. It's not a rewards system...

Trust me. That attitude irritates the hell out of me as well. Disability is the biggest source of income in my county. It's sad because there are a lot of people that probably really need it and truly aren't able to work but the people around us that are abusing the system make them ashamed to apply. 

6 hours ago, MillieSparklepants said:

Oh Mamadrama! This breaks my heart.

Will you tell us how to find your books? I'm an author as well and I'd love to read them.

Sure! If you want to send me a PM I'll link you to my Amazon page. Who knows-we might know each other! :-)

[Tenarife60]

I will post this here as I'm not really sure where else to post this, but I wondered where did they get their money when they were obese, then lost the weight and started working?  I'm mostly talking about Chay's episode, even though others may have done this too.  She was living with her grandparents not able to work, and didn't appear to be getting government benefits, and I assume she was driving a car that was her grandmother's to get to the store, etc.  However in her update she was driving a different car and had one or two jobs.  I was just curious where she got the money to get a car to begin with to even drive around to apply for jobs.  Her family seemed to be really poor and not able to help her.  I thought it could be the show that paid her for her appearance and she used that money to buy a used car.  I just noticed she wasn't driving the same 'grandma car' in her update that she was driving in her first episode. 

[Tenarife60]

On ‎3‎/‎23‎/‎2015 at 11:18 PM, Micks Picks said:

A child is bonus money, and even more if you can declare them disabled as well.  Thus all the autistic kids are those with adhd, etc. 

I wasn't aware you could get extra money from SSI if you have a child, or like you said perhaps if the child has a learning or physical disability.  I've seen where people on SSI has asked this question and they were told they couldn't get more money because they have a child, only if you are getting SSDI instead.  I knew that about SSDI because my niece was getting that and both of her kids were getting a check off of her even thought neither were disabled.

[Lucycharmed]

I agree it's kind of bothersome to see this kind of profound dependence on "the system", but there are some things to consider... being 600-700 pounds is not exactly something a person  ASPIRES to. Think about that. There's not a lot of money or other benefits to be gained by becoming disabled early in life; most of the time, the amount received is not enough to live an acceptable life, much less a comfortable one.

My brother worked until he was about 24, and was then diagnosed with schizo-affective disorder. He has been on SSDI ever since, but gets less than $800 a month and can't get approved for either Medicaid or food stamps. He pays his Medicare premiums out of his check, and still has to pay co-pays or co-insurance for anything he has to see a doctor for. It's a HARD life, living on so little.

Being that massively heavy would make life hard even if you had plenty of money to spend on the food you like to eat or comfortable places to lie around or whatever. Would YOU choose to do that? I'm in the middle of a weight loss journey of my own, and have lost nearly 100 pounds in less than six months without surgery, but even so, at less than half what these folks weigh, I have a LOT of pain, in my neck, shoulders, hips, knees, and ankles. Carrying extra weight feels terrible. You don't breathe well, you have a hard time getting up from bed or a chair, you tend to hate leaving the house because of people staring at you, laughing at you, or catcalling you when you're trying to do things right for yourself. And working at home? Sure, worth a try. Have you ever tried doing ANY kind of work when you're at least 500 pounds heavier than the average person? Every movement, every hour spent sitting at a computer, every phone conversation you have to have with a customer or employer would be EXHAUSTING. At my heaviest (still far less than these people), sitting at a desk at work for 8 hours a day was pure hell. And you can't do anything FAST enough to satisfy your employer. Put on the fat-suit before you make any kind of judgments about what another person is able to do. And yes, anyone can acknowledge that nobody gets to 600 pounds without making a LOT of bad choices. I would never deny that. A lot of bad choices got me to where I was too. But there are other considerations, like the kind of eating habits you developed as a child, and that's 100% on your parents. That stuff bleeds over into adulthood. And there are going to be people who enable you to behave badly in your adulthood. You are responsible for your choices, but a whole lot of that comes from forces outside your control. It's really easy to say "I would NEVER allow myself to get that big." Do you think these people never said that to themselves? Look at them. Not a single person on that show is happy when they start their journey, and many of them aren't happy even after they've lost a few hundred pounds. Something contributed to that, and it wasn't dietary choices.

"Free" money isn't free, not to the taxpayers that provide it, and not to the people receiving it. My brother says he would love to be able to hold down a job, but he simply CAN'T. The whole problem with this world, and with this country, especially, is that there's not enough COMPASSION for our fellow human beings. You may think you know these people as being big fat piles of crap, but you only get the part of the story that TLC chooses for you to know. We ALL have problems and need to just get over ourselves and stop being so judgmental.

[poeticlicensed]

15 hours ago, Lucycharmed said:

The whole problem with this world, and with this country, especially, is that there's not enough COMPASSION for our fellow human beings.

You need to look at the stats for charitable giving. It has consistently gone up every year, with the exception of the years around the financial collapse. In 2016, charitable giving in the US was nearly 400 billion dollars, with the majority coming from individuals. Most people do care and do give to help their fellow man. Don't let crap spewed all over the media, social media and the internet tell you any different.   

[ChristmasJones]

On 3/12/2018 at 5:06 PM, Lucycharmed said:

He has been on SSDI ever since, but gets less than $800 a month and can't get approved for either Medicaid or food stamps. He pays his Medicare premiums out of his check, and still has to pay co-pays or co-insurance for anything he has to see a doctor for. It's a HARD life, living on so little.

I'm curious what state your brother lives in. An income of $9600/year seems well within the range needed to be eligible for Medicaid.  Does he have any assets aside from owning a car or a home? That can affect eligibility.

[Tenarife60]

2 hours ago, ChristmasJones said:

I'm curious what state your brother lives in. An income of $9600/year seems well within the range needed to be eligible for Medicaid.  Does he have any assets aside from owning a car or a home? That can affect eligibility.

That's true because they even included a cemetery plot I have that my mother bought years ago for everyone in the family.  I suppose they consider this me 'owning' a piece of land, LOL.  Well that's about all the land I'd ever own.

[auntjess]

Do consider getting a lawyer who specializes in Medicaid.

[Colleenna]

I'm curious about who pays for the ambulances and the hospital stays. Thirty days in the hospital has to cost a fortune! 

[uttersolitude]

I've seen a few people wondering about the spouse/mate who doesn't seem to work either, so figured I'd give my experience on it.

Might not be a thing everywhere, but in my area you can certified as an hha or stna and get paid to take care of a loved one. A friend of mine is employed full time, caring for her eldery aunt in this way.

The pay isn't great, ofc, because the real point is that the patient is being cared for by a loved one.

I suspect a number of the spouses we see on the show are doing this. If the patient is receiving disibility... Well, y'all see the point lol.

[auntjess]

17 hours ago, Colleenna said:

I'm curious about who pays for the ambulances and the hospital stays. Thirty days in the hospital has to cost a fortune! 

I'm sure it must.  I can only guess that Dr. Now owns a piece of the hospital, and has a say.
Maybe for some at death's door, insurance would pay, but it seems doubtful.

[fonfereksglen]

Bringing this thread back.

From my experience over the last 4 plus years, learned on the fly, benefits are not as generous as assumed.  Especially for people with little to no work history. The caregiver benefit, if received, is factored into the total household income.  The household income threshold for medical benefits is stingy and doled out person by person.  There are no dental benefits.  Having little ones adds to the allowed food budget, but onion rings are not WIC approved.  Food stamps are a necessity for these families, and I am not bothered about food benefits,  or food pantry benefits.  Though, most food pantries also perform due diligence for eligibility.  There are also housing benefits, though other than Lupe and Gilbert, the pounders seem above that level.  I am also willing to accept that a social worker is helping to coordinate getting all the benefits for these extended family households, because minors are involved.

After that rambling paragraph, I go back to the original question, where does the money for food, especially the copious amounts of fast food come from?  Other than financial government benefits, it is not an easy question to answer.  Some have hard working spouses or partners who earn enough.  A few like Nikki and Tara have misguided parents. Some are admitted internet feeders, an astonishing lucrative though demeaning profession.  A few are obviously involved in dealing drugs.

I despise the abuse of our safety net by some of these abusive pounders.  I always hope, that maybe, one or more of the children will escape to a better life because my tax dollars gave them a bit of stability.

Edited May 10, 2019 by fonfereksglen

[Nicmar]

17 hours ago, fonfereksglen said:

Bringing this thread back.

From my experience over the last 4 plus years, learned on the fly, benefits are not as generous as assumed.  Especially for people with little to no work history. The caregiver benefit, if received, is factored into the total household income.  The household income threshold for medical benefits is stingy and doled out person by person.  There are no dental benefits.  Having little ones adds to the allowed food budget, but onion rings are not WIC approved.  Food stamps are a necessity for these families, and I am not bothered about food benefits,  or food pantry benefits.  Though, most food pantries also perform due diligence for eligibility.  There are also housing benefits, though other than Lupe and Gilbert, the pounders seem above that level.  I am also willing to accept that a social worker is helping to coordinate getting all the benefits for these extended family households, because minors are involved.

After that rambling paragraph, I go back to the original question, where does the money for food, especially the copious amounts of fast food come from?  Other than financial government benefits, it is not an easy question to answer.  Some have hard working spouses or partners who earn enough.  A few like Nikki and Tara have misguided parents. Some are admitted internet feeders, an astonishing lucrative though demeaning profession.  A few are obviously involved in dealing drugs.

I despise the abuse of our safety net by some of these abusive pounders.  I always hope, that maybe, one or more of the children will escape to a better life because my tax dollars gave them a bit of stability.

What is a internet feeder?

[Twopper]

4 hours ago, Nicmar said:

What is a internet feeder?

It is my understanding that it is an obese person who for a fee will allow viewers to watch them stuff their faces over the internet.  I think it is almost always an obese woman.  Then men who pay them tell them what to eat.   I really wish I didn't have a clue about it.

the feeder, I think is the person paying.  the person eating would be the feedee?

Edited May 10, 2019 by Twopper

[kicotan]

4 hours ago, Twopper said:

the feeder, I think is the person paying.  the person eating would be the feedee?

That would be correct.

There’s pay to watch web cam folk doing just about anything you can think of~and some you can’t even imagine.

[CrazyInAlabama]

There is also something called squashing.      Don't even think about asking what that is.   The feeders often have something sent to them to eat by the primary customer, then others watch the feeding and pay for that too.     

[fonfereksglen]

2 minutes ago, fonfereksglen said:

Renee spoke in a matter of fact way of supporting her children eating on the net.  She also provided some pics.  I think Zsylynn implied the same, before she married.

Edited May 10, 2019 by fonfereksglen

[Concerned]

I wonder if in the scene where they go through a drive through and order enough for a village, the producer tells them to order whatever they want and the show will pay. They order a ton because it’s the first time they could afford to and the show gets pictures of gluttony and passes it off as typical behavior.

Disability isn’t that much, but it opens the door to many other programs, including food stamps, the relative as caregiver, Section 8 housing, Medicaid, charity programs and much more.

Some of the participants also supplement their government benefits with off the books jobs in drug dealing, prostitution, pornography, along with nail polishing, hair styling and tattooing. There are lots of off the books jobs one can perform from the comfort of their bed/dining area/toilet.

A few also seem to sponge off relatives, collect small fees from baby daddies, or have some type of charity sponsor. One participant took in five foster kids and likely got hundreds of dollars for each one.

The creativity they employ to survive is itself amazing.

Edited May 10, 2019 by Concerned

[missnoa]

I doubt that production is footing the bill for those food trips - you don't get up to 600-700 lbs without eating a massive amount of food consistently for a long time. Most of these people live with family or a spouse who is also helping them pay for it I imagine. And I always wonder if some of them are hesitant to do it at all because they'd lose benefits - it's gotta be scary to lose your entire income and likely your health insurance and food stamps - and possibly even your family's income if they're getting paid to take care of you - like that. I'm being genuine when I say that too.

Starcasm has a 2019 article claiming that the people who appear get a $1500 "talent fee" for the entire year shooting schedule. They also say: "We’ve heard rumors that cast members get more money from Megalomedia, My 600 Lb Life‘s production company, by agreeing to participate in the show’s infamous bathing scenes; we’ve been unable to confirm those rumors."

They supposedly don't get paid for reruns and they don't get royalties. They also get a $2500 relocation stipend. The site also says it looks like some of the participants actually end up moving into housing owned by TLC when they move. Which would make sense, since from what I understand Houston isn't cheap and it's easier to just have housing available for them to move to to continue filming instead of hoping they can find something on their own and delay filming or make it end because they couldn't move. The show also covers Dr. Now's medical expenses, including weight loss surgery if they quality. But they don't pay for skin removal surgery.

You can choose to believe it or not, it is a gossip site after all, but it wouldn't surprise me if those numbers are accurate, especially considering some of the stuff we've seen on the show and how people have acted after it (gofundmes for skin removal surgery, everyone seeming to be living the same general lifestyle meaning there's no big checks coming from TLC).

[CrazyInAlabama]

It might also be that the producers have reserved a few of those apartments, and that way they know they can film at the location, and the poundticipants can get housing.    I think all signing up for the show gets you is the $2500 stipend, and $1500 relocation fee or maybe the other way around, but it gets you on the quick list at Dr. Now's office.   Otherwise, I'm sure the wait is really long to see him.