Welfare
Welfare is a public assistance program developed to help people who are unable to support themselves fully. It provides a minimum amount of economic security to people whose incomes do not meet a sufficient standard of living. People who receive welfare include elderly people, people with mental or physical disabilities, and those needing help to support dependent children. People in the United States most commonly use the term welfare to refer to government-funded programs that provide economic support, goods, and services to the underemployed people. (World Almanac) The current U.S. welfare system originated from the Great Depression of the 1930s. During the worst part of the depression, about one-fourth of the labor force was without work. More than two-thirds of all households would have been considered poor by today's standards. "With a majority of the competent adult population experiencing severe financial misfortune first hand, Americans could no longer view poverty simply as a personal failing." (Encarta) The majority of Americans turned to the government for answers. U.S. president Franklin D. Roosevelt established a social and economic reform movement to combat the Great Depression. Part of his newly enacted "New Deal"
Cloward, Richard A., ed. Regulating the Poor The Functions of the Public Welfare. London: Vintage Books, 1993. Welfare." World Almanac and Book of Facts. Funk & Wagnalls Corporation. 1995 "Welfare" Microsoft Encyclopedia Encarta 2000. Microsoft Electronic Publishing. program was the Social Security Act, enacted by Congress in 1935. This act and it's 1939 amendments established a number a number of social welfare programs, each designed to support the diverse social and economic needs of Americans. (World Almanac) Federal and state governments in the United States support the poor people through about sixty different welfare programs. Most people receive help through one of the four major programs. These programs are Medicaid, Aid to families with dependent children, social security, or Supplemental Security, and the food stamps program. Medicaid provides free medical care to the people who live in low-income families with dependent children and for individuals with low incomes who are elderly or disabled. Medicaid also covers those who can afford to pay for their cost of living however cannot afford medical bills. Medicaid usually includes doctor's visits and nursing home care. Most funding comes from the federal government, and the rest is supplied by the state. Each state runs their own Medicaid program. In 1994 Medicaid covered 34 million people, or about 12 percent of the total U.S. population and 46.2 percent of America's poor. The cost of the program has grown faster than the rate of inflation and was estimated to be $143.9 million in 1994. (Encarta) Another major welfare program is Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC). This program provides monetary aid to parents and children who are in need of economic assistance due to the death, continued absence, or the inability of the primary wage earner to earn an income. Woman head about 80 percent of the families on AFDC. It also pays benefits to two-parent families if both parents are unemployed. Most of the funding for the AFDC comes from the federal government, and the states provide the rest of the money. In 1996 7.9 million children, almost 13 percent of all children, and about 3.9 million adults received help from AFDC in any given month. (Encarta) Most people on welfare receive more than just monetary support. All AFDC families are eligible for Medicaid health care support; and about 90 percent have received food stamps, vouchers with which they can purchase only food. Also, almost one-fourth have received housing assistance or live in public housing. Sadly, however, only 15 percent have been actively involved in programs to help them find work. (World Almanac) Adults with disabilities or who are not able to work because of age can receive monetary support through Supplemental Security Income (SSI). SSI provides more generous assistance than AFDC. In 1995 individuals received $458 monthly, roughly 25 p
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1954
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)
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