I fell into exactly one of those traps because financial aid was predicated on a parental contribution that was not really possible (because my mother had to spend that money on her own uncovered medical expenses). I know many others who have also been denied the aid they needed, and no few who received aid they didn't need. Basically every system in the US - not just education and health care but also housing, transportation, 90% of the legal system, etc. - is set up to create an interlocking set of burdens and traps for those who don't already have the means to rise above them.