<story><title>Americans Are Delaying Health Care Until Tax Refunds Arrive</title><url>https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-04-12/what-to-spend-your-tax-refund-on-how-about-the-doctor</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>Mindless2112</author><text>That tax withholding is the only way that many Americans manage to save speaks more to a lack of self-control than anything else.&lt;p&gt;If Uncle Sam can save a lump-sum for you by deducting from your paycheck, you could have done the same (in fact, better) with a bit of resolve and a bank account.</text></item><item><author>kartan</author><text>&amp;gt; Out-of-pocket medical spending jumps once the money hits people’s bank accounts.&lt;p&gt;It is a bad thing that tax withholding is one of the few ways Americans can have savings. When you live check to check this can be your only option.</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>burlesona</author><text>It&amp;#x27;s not necessarily that simple.&lt;p&gt;I would say that for most Americans who are cash poor, they intentionally do not optimize their taxes to break even, but rather to ensure they never end up owing the government money at the end of the year.&lt;p&gt;The rationale for this is pretty simple. Even if you&amp;#x27;re poor, $50 a month in extra income isn&amp;#x27;t going to make or break you, but an unexpected bill for $600 in April can really mess you up. On the other hand, just going with max withholdings and discovering in April that you get $600 back from the government is a nice bonus.&lt;p&gt;It&amp;#x27;s not the &amp;quot;optimal&amp;quot; decision from a finance perspective, but for a lot of people it works better in real life.</text></comment>
<story><title>Americans Are Delaying Health Care Until Tax Refunds Arrive</title><url>https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-04-12/what-to-spend-your-tax-refund-on-how-about-the-doctor</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>Mindless2112</author><text>That tax withholding is the only way that many Americans manage to save speaks more to a lack of self-control than anything else.&lt;p&gt;If Uncle Sam can save a lump-sum for you by deducting from your paycheck, you could have done the same (in fact, better) with a bit of resolve and a bank account.</text></item><item><author>kartan</author><text>&amp;gt; Out-of-pocket medical spending jumps once the money hits people’s bank accounts.&lt;p&gt;It is a bad thing that tax withholding is one of the few ways Americans can have savings. When you live check to check this can be your only option.</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>jlebar</author><text>Not necessarily -- perhaps you&amp;#x27;re in debt day-to-day.  This is the reality for many Americans.</text></comment>