Millions of Americans drawing thousand-dollar monthly payments from the federal government under Social Security’s disability program — and sitting out of the workforce, which is a requirement to get the benefit — may have only signed up because a finding of disability also provides Medicare or Medicaid, which they need to pay doctors’ bills.

Having medical issues that demand expensive treatment but still perfectly capable of working, many little-educated people weighed a $1,500-a-month job flipping burgers with no health insurance against $1,000-a-month-plus-free-health insurance for going on disability and chose the latter.