It's unemployment insurance, not a personal unemployment fund. If a car gets totaled and the owners insurance provider pays it off, that doesn't mean a rational owner saves up to pay the insurance provider back for living up to their obligation.
This guy sounds like he suffers from a misguided sense of responsibility.
Calling it "insurance" is a linguistic trick politicians use to remove the stigma (little that there is these days) of being supported by the state. Is it really insurance if you're forced to pay for it? Or is it just another welfare program?
I imagine this guy sees it as just another welfare program, and thankful as he was to receive it, he was also ashamed to take it. We'd be better off if everyone was so "foolish."
Whether it was forced or not has absolutely nothing to do with whether it was insurance or whether it was originally his money anyway. Unemployment payments are effectively a tax cut (taxes being another forced fee) yet I've never heard of anyone claiming tax cuts are welfare.
I'm sure the guy did see it as a welfare program. That's why I called him a fool.
This guy sounds like he suffers from a misguided sense of responsibility.
A fool and his money are soon parted.