It has been my experience that the government NEVER throws reams and reams of forms at people wishing to benefit from their largesse. Why most of the time you have to fight them off. This disdain for paperwork can be seen in any IRS publication. “Simplify, simplify, simplify” is their watchword.
O.k. back to reality. Too much paperwork? I think the author means too much paperwork that they could not fudge. I’ve known people who have foregone help they were borderline eligible for because they did not want to deal with the volume and the intrusion involved. They figured out they would manage somehow else instead. If they had been truly without other options they would have filled out whatever forms were thrown their way.
So my conclusion is that these people who decided not to enroll found other options. They are not out there dying in droves on the lawns of the callous rich.
Sometimes we forget that there are millions of people, yes millions, who qualify for poverty programs are are too proud to apply for them. Then there are those who qualify and are too lazy to jump through all the hoops. Then there are some who know that they are not good liars.
These people want to obey the law. When Obamacare told them they had to obey the law, they reluctantly signed up for Medicaid. Once they take Medicaid and have lost their pride, then food stamps and other welfare is not far behind.
From the pro-Obamacare perspective, convincing poor people to take what they were eligible for was the biggest victory of Obamacare.
But even now, there are many who resist the navigators. Navigators are constantly holding conferences to discuss how to reach the underserved.
Poor people of Mexican heritage are the single biggest demographic group who are eligible for programs and do not participate.