“Poverty in general, like healthcare rationed according to your ability to pay in particular, costs society a great deal. It naturally takes an immense personal physical and emotional toll on the individuals living through it. As a result, drug addiction is a greater threat among the chronically poor than it is within other segments of society. This addiction adds further stress to an already expensive medical system, leads to higher incarceration rates, while placing families at considerably greater risk. Rather than spending tens of thousands annually to incarcerate an individual or place their children in foster care, it would be far cheaper — to say nothing of just being better for all involved — if we confronted poverty head on rather than waiting until its negative consequences became a public health or safety crisis that we can no longer ignore.”
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