How do people survive?

How do they survive a job loss? Mike has been out of work 5 weeks now, and with unemployment kicking in, how do people live? With car insurance, RX costs, gas/electric, food, car lease, bankruptcy ruling - that's not even considering cable/phone/cell/cobra health insurance/pet needs.

Why is our society like this? Mike makes too much in unemployment to get assistance... we need at least 1 phone so he can get calls for job prospects. We need our medications, it's not like they are recreational, if we don't take them we will get really sick (or psychotic, lol)