Health
Reagan Invoked the ‘Welfare Queen.’ The New G.O.P. Target Is a Lazy Gamer.
Ronald Reagan and his fellow Republicans once invoked what they referred to as “welfare queens” as they made the case for reining in social spending in the 1970s and 1980s, painting a picture of unscrupulous women bilking the system to finance a sumptuous lifestyle.
Now as they try to justify cuts to Medicaid, congressional Republicans are focused on a different deadbeat poster child: the shiftless male video gamer who lazes around the house attached to his console while getting free health care that should go to more deserving people.
The imagery has changed, but the political tactic from the G.O.P. remains the same. By making broad generalizations about the types of people who could inappropriately benefit from federal benefits, they make the idea of cutting back seem virtuous rather than stingy.
With a new, restrictive work requirement for Medicaid and other cost-cutting measures emerging as main points of contention in the political debate over their sweeping domestic policy bill, Republicans have sought to play down the potential fallout for Americans who rely on the health care program for the poor. They say no one who truly merits help will lose benefits.
To bolster their case, they assert that ridding the Medicaid rolls of slackers and undocumented immigrants who should not be getting taxpayer help will shave off billions of dollars without touching benefits for those in need. Their message is that the necessary savings can be achieved by going after the old standbys of waste, fraud and abuse.
“You don’t want able-bodied workers on a program that is intended, for example, for single mothers with two small children who is just trying to make it,” Speaker Mike Johnson said on CNN in February as he began laying the groundwork for the Medicaid cuts. “That’s what Medicaid is for, not for 29-year-old males sitting on their couches playing video games.”
Representative Lauren Boebert, Republican of Colorado, piled on to the perceived couch potato community.
“If you are able to work in America, well then you should not be sitting at home playing video games and collecting a check,” she said last month after meeting with President Trump and hearing his pitch for the legislation.
Other Republicans, Democrats and data analysts say that most Medicaid beneficiaries are already working. They note that even if a glut of loafing gamers did exist, cutting them off from government-provided insurance won’t save much money, since they don’t use much health care.
“They’re not on Medicaid because they are malingerers,” Senator Josh Hawley, Republican of Missouri, said about his 1.3 million constituents currently on Medicaid. “They are on Medicaid because they can’t afford private health insurance.”
But Republican proponents of cuts say their argument was underscored by a recent analysis from the American Enterprise Institute. Applying the American Time Use Survey and the Current Population Survey, the report estimated that able-bodied Medicaid recipients who don’t work spent about 4.2 hours a day watching television or playing video games, their second most common activity after sleeping. Working Medicaid recipients, it said, spent about 2.7 hours watching TV or gaming.
The speaker’s office said the findings substantiated Mr. Johnson’s point that some beneficiaries were gaming the system as they gamed at home.
“The next time a Democrat makes false claims about ‘Medicaid cuts,’ just remember that what they’re really saying is they want illegal aliens and able-bodied adults playing video games at home to continue stealing resources from those who need it,” the speaker’s office said in a news release.
Yet a new analysis from the Brookings Institution questioned the potential impact of the new House-approved work rule, which would require childless adults without physical limitations to show they had worked, volunteered or gone to school for at least 80 hours in the month before enrolling in Medicaid.
Even if the new requirements now under review in the Senate did catch some idle gamers, the savings might not prove to be that great, the analysis said. The 4.3 million people the study said were on Medicaid with no limits on activity recorded the lowest average Medicaid spending, while 40 percent did not use medical services at all. The authors said their data showed that just 300,000 beneficiaries reported that they didn’t work simply because they didn’t want a job.
“Speaker Johnson’s archetypal young men who hang out in basements playing video games are not as common as he may imagine, and just don’t use a lot of health care services,” said the Brookings report, written by Sherry Glied and Dong Ding. “Disenrolling this group would generate only modest federal savings, far less than needed to offset a significant share of the bill’s tax cuts,” they added.
Democrats say Republicans are well aware that millions of Medicaid beneficiaries are not whiling away the hours at home playing video games while they eagerly take advantage of a program where eligibility is tied to low income. They say Republicans are misrepresenting the situation in pursuit of savings to offset tax cuts in their legislation.
“They are just desperate for money and they know there’s a lot of money to be saved by pulling people off welfare,” said Senator Brian Schatz, Democrat of Hawaii. “And so they have to imagine an unworthy person.”
Senator Richard Blumenthal, Democrat of Connecticut, said Republicans wanted to justify their Medicaid cuts by stigmatizing “health care as a handout, when it should be something that enables the whole society to be more productive.”
“I think we are descending into the old ‘welfare queen’ demagoguery, and I think it is a disservice,” he said.
When Reagan ran for president in 1976, he peppered campaign speeches with the anecdote of a Chicago woman who had found a way to bilk the welfare system through the use of aliases and other fraud. The claim that the system was rife with corruption was meant to stir anger and resentment among voters who worked for a living.
Though suggestions of widespread cases of people living a luxurious lifestyle on welfare were debunked from the start, the impression has persisted for decades and surfaces in political and policy fights from time to time. When Congress enhanced unemployment benefits during the Covid pandemic, conservatives balked, saying the extra pay would keep those already disinclined to work at home.
Mr. Johnson and others have accused able-bodied unemployed Americans of “cheating” by receiving Medicaid coverage when they could work, even though the expansion of Medicaid in many states under the Affordable Care Act has made it permissible to obtain coverage without working as long as low-income guidelines are met.
“If you are able to work and you refuse to do so, you are defrauding the system,” Mr. Johnson said in late May on CBS’s “Face the Nation.” He said that there was a “moral component” to the Republican push to impose work requirements on Medicaid recipients and that it would provide dignity to those pushed into the work force.
The Brookings analysis said that many of those who don’t hold a job would probably be exempt from new requirements because of reasons such as caring for a family member or other factors. It predicted that the effort would produce unintended consequences such as discouraging those who need Medicaid from qualifying for help because of new paperwork requirements.
“Prior efforts to surgically separate the meritoriously enrolled from the slackers have proved both ineffective and very administratively costly,” the report said. “Medicaid work requirements just don’t work in the way their proponents promise they do.”
Robert Jimison contributed reporting.
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Research continues to uncover new details on how fasting may help extend life.
A new study published in the journal Nature Communications investigated how intermittent fasting can boost longevity in small worms often used in aging research.
Researchers from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas compared worms that were fed normally to those that underwent a 24-hour fast in early adulthood and were then fed again, according to a press release.
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The scientists measured a variety of factors, including stored fat, gene activity related to fat metabolism and lifespan.
The results showed that the life-boosting benefit did not depend on the fasting itself but on the body’s behavior after eating again.
Experts say sustainability is key when choosing a long-term weight-loss strategy. (iStock)
Study lead Peter Douglas, associate professor of molecular biology and a member of the Hamon Center for Regenerative Science and Medicine at UT Southwestern, suggested that these discoveries “shift the focus toward a neglected side of the metabolic coin – the re-feeding phase.”
“Our data suggest that the health-promoting effects of intermittent fasting are not merely a product of the fast itself, but are dependent on how the metabolic machinery recalibrates during the subsequent transition back to a fed state,” he said.
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“Our findings bridge a gap between lipid metabolism and aging research,” he added. “By targeting aging, the single greatest risk factor for human disease, we move beyond treating isolated conditions toward a preventive model of medicine that enhances quality of life for all individuals.”
Lauri Wright, director of nutrition programs at the University of South Florida’s College of Public Health, called this a “high-quality” study that adds an “important nuance to how we think about fasting and longevity.”
Intermittent fasting typically involves limiting meals to an eight-hour daily window or fasting every other day. (iStock)
The benefits of the refeeding phase after fasting were “especially interesting,” Wright, who was not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital.
“The researchers showed that longevity was linked to the body’s ability to turn off fat breakdown after fasting, allowing cells to restore energy balance,” she reiterated.
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“From a scientific standpoint, that’s a meaningful shift because it suggests fasting is not just about burning fat, but about metabolic flexibility.”
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Fasting may support longevity through triggering metabolic switching, enhancing cellular repair and stress resistance and improving markers like insulin sensitivity, research shows.
Limitations and cautions
Although this study provides “important insight” on the power of refeeding, Wright noted that the findings should be approached with caution, as the study was done on worms and cannot always be translated to humans.
“Additionally, it explains how a process might work in a controlled lab condition rather than real-world eating behaviors,” she added as a limitation. “Finally, the study is short-term and doesn’t give us the long-term translation on lifespan outcomes.”
The review found intermittent fasting was barely more effective than doing nothing, according to the study authors. (iStock)
Wright cautioned that fasting is “not a magic solution for longevity, and how you eat overall matters more than when you eat.”
“I advise, first and foremost, to focus on diet quality, including a variety of fruits and vegetables, healthy fats and minimally processed foods,” she said.
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For those who are considering fasting, it’s better to stick with a moderate plan — like a 12- to 14-hour overnight fast — rather than going to extremes, Wright said. After fasting, she recommends focusing on well-balanced meals.
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Several groups of people should be cautioned against fasting, according to Wright, including those with diabetes who are on insulin or hypoglycemic medications, those who are pregnant or breastfeeding, anyone with a history of eating disorders and older adults at risk of malnutrition.
Anyone considering intermittent fasting should consult with a doctor before starting.
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More than three million people travel to undergo cosmetic surgery each year, statistics show — but the potential savings come at a cost.
Most people opting to pursue this so-called “medical tourism” are chasing budget-friendly price tags.
International surgeries, such as hair transplants in Turkey, can cost as little as $4,000 to $5,000 compared to $20,000 to $30,000 in the U.S., but often come with extreme risks, according to board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Sheila Nazarian of California.
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The doctor recently joined Lisa Brady on the “The FOX News Rundown” podcast to discuss the rising trend of medical tourism. One of the biggest risks, she said, is the lack of safety regulations in popular destinations like Mexico and Turkey.
As demand spikes in these medical tourism “mills,” there have been reports of non-medically trained staff performing procedures like hair transplants.
Most people opting to pursue “medical tourism” are chasing budget-friendly price tags. (iStock)
“I’ve heard that they [international clinics] are even recruiting people who maybe were taxi drivers and then putting them through their own training program … to become hair transplant technicians,” Nazarian said. “That’s how high the demand has become.”
In the U.S., medical school graduates are granted a “physician and surgeon” license, which means doctors — including pediatricians or OB-GYNs — can legally perform cosmetic surgeries, even if they didn’t receive specialized training for those procedures during residency, Nazarian noted.
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Instead of pinching pennies, the doctor recommended paying whatever amount is necessary to ensure quality treatment.
“People think of it as, you know, going to the mall. … It’s surgery, and surgery has risks,” she said. “You need to be with someone who not only can perform a beautiful surgery, but who can handle possible complications well.”
“You need to ask them: ‘What was your residency training in? And if you wanted to, would you be allowed to do this procedure in a hospital?’”
Aftercare is another critical factor in the success and safety of a cosmetic procedure, as the doctor emphasized that 20% of a surgical result depends on post-operative care.
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This can be difficult or even impossible to manage when a doctor is in a different time zone, she cautioned, or if the clinic disappears shortly after the procedure.
Nazarian also noted the importance of addressing the psychological component of plastic surgery, noting that no procedure will fix underlying unhappiness. The doctor said she uses screening questionnaires to ensure that patients are truly seeking self-improvement rather than a “cure” for deeper issues.
International surgeries, such as hair transplants in Turkey, can cost as little as $4,000 to $5,000 compared to $20,000 to $30,000 in the U.S., but often come with extreme risks. (iStock)
“If you’re not already generally very content with your life, a knife in my hand is not going to bring you there,” Nazarian said.
“The analogy I always give is you don’t want a paisley couch — you want a neutral couch and you can put paisley pillows on it,” she said, noting that a procedure should “make you look normal, God-given, athletic. And then you can change your clothes when the trends come and go.”
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Samuel Golpanian, M.D., a double board-certified plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills, said he has also seen an increasing number of patients undergoing cosmetic procedures abroad, sometimes with “devastating consequences.”
“The key is being extremely careful before embarking on this journey.”
“I’ve seen a wide range of complications, including infections, poor wound healing, significant scarring and tissue necrosis (skin death),” he told Fox News Digital. “These complications often lead to prolonged pain, ongoing medical problems, and significant additional costs to repair the damage.”
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Golpanian said he’s treated patients who received unsafe or non-medical-grade injectable materials, which can lead to serious long-term health issues.
One surgeon said he’s treated patients who received unsafe or non-medical-grade injectable materials, which can lead to serious long-term health issues. (iStock)
“I’ve also seen damage to underlying structures, asymmetry and results that are extremely difficult — sometimes impossible — to correct.”
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“That said, I’ve also seen some good outcomes, so it’s not all bad,” he noted. “The key is being extremely careful before embarking on this journey.”
Quick tips for safe ‘medical tourism’
Fully vet the surgeon. “Most surgeons will provide information about their education and training, but it’s important not to accept these claims at face value,” Golpanian said. “Verify them directly by contacting the institutions where they trained.”
Ask for references from prior patients. Ideally, it’s best to get references from U.S.-based patients who can speak candidly about both their experience and their results, the surgeonsaid.
Think beyond the cost. Golpanian emphasized the adage “you get what you pay for.” “Cost should take a back seat to experience, training, judgment and proven results,” he advised.
Be cautious about relying on before-and-after photos. These can be selective or even enhanced, Golpanian warned.
Keep aftercare in focus. “Make sure the practice emphasizes comprehensive follow-up care and has a clear, realistic post-operative plan in place.”
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