A few hundred dollars could be a lot of money when we do not have it on hand when we need it. Old folks used to say: shit happens, plan accordingly. Most often than not we do not have those few hundred when we need them only because we spent them unwisely when we had them. Except people mentally incapable, there is no excuse for anyone in the United States for being permanently poor.

Among family and friends, we had a few cases of life-threatening illness requiring expensive care. People reached for medical test projects, for donations, for fundraising, and for help from charities. Despite lack of insurance, in cases known to me, money never had been an obstacle in getting the care required.