social welfare Flashcards
What are the two kinds of social welfare programs?
majoritarian and client
Welfare programs where nearly everyone has the opportunity to benefit, and nearly everyone foots the bill.
Majoritarian
2 examples of majoritarian welfare programs
Social Security and Medicare
A test of income to verify qualification
Means test
Welfare programs where few people benefit but nearly everyone pays
Client welfare programs
2 examples of client welfare programs
Food Stamps and medicaid
The biggest concern facing majoritarian programs
Cost
The biggest concern facing client programs
Legitimacy, or who should benefit and how
Why are majoritarian programs so hard to change?
They create so much controversy, no politician wants to touch them
As popular opinions change, what type of program is most likely to be affected?
Client
What type of aid is more popular over money?
Services
Country where redistributing income from wealthier to poor is common
Sweden
Year the Social Security Act was passed
1935
When the Social Security Act was passed, how many similar programs existed in European countries?
22
What crisis brought about the need for social security?
The Great Depression
Who has more control over the welfare system? Federal gov. or the states?
States. Due to Federalism
Prohibits religious organizations from using public funds to promote their religion
Charitable Choice Legislation
2 examples of nongovernmental welfare institutions
Big Brothers Big Sisters, Catholic charities
What year was FDR elected?
1932
How long did FDR plan to use cash bail outs and relief agencies?
Just for the short term Depression relief
2 Long Term Welfare solutions created by Cabinet Committee on Economic Security
Insurance and assistance programs
How are insurance welfare programs funded?
They’re self financing, meaning workers contribute while times are good and benefit when they can no longer work
Who benefits from insurance welfare?
The unemployed and the elderly
How is eligibility for assistance programs determined?
Means test
What political party tends to favor national health care plans?
Democratic
Presidents known for their national healthcare plans
Obama and Johnson
What is the biggest problem with Social Security?
As the population ages, there will not be enough people paying in to cover the cost of all the benefits
3 proposed ideas to remedy the problems with Social Security
Raise the retirement age to 70, privatize social security, and permit citizens to invest these taxes into carefully organized mutual funds
How much was spent on Medicare in 1990?
$110 billion
Who does medicare provide benefits to?
Anyone over 65
3 problems with medicare
People go to the doctor when they don’t need to, some doctors overcharge the government, and the government cuts too many costs–lowering coverage
Proposed solutions to the problems with Medicare include:
Having health care professionals work for the government, and allowing seniors to use their Medicare benefits to purchase private health insurance
Act which affords prescription drug coverage to qualified seniors, passed in 2006
Medicare Modernization Act
Created old age pensions
Social Security Act
What happens when both the benefits and costs of a proposed program are widely distributed?
It will be adopted if the beneficiaries think their benefits will exceed their costs
What was the main argument for conservatives against Social Security?
Nothing in the constitution authorized the federal government to spend money for it
Welfare is a policy that is reserved for the ….
States
Social security was an easy argument to make when?
During the Great Depression
1965, conservatives argued that medical care was a ________, not governmental matter
Private
When benefits of a proposal are to go to a relatively small group but the public pay at large
Client politics
Created by the Social Security Act
AFDC (Aid to Families with Dependent Children)
providing cash assistance to indigent American families with dependent children through the United States Department of Health and Human Services.
TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families)
How can politics of policy issues be affected by changes in people’s perceptions?
They are concerned with who bears the burdens and receives the benefits
In addition to Medicare, another important part of the nations’s healthcare is….
Medicaid
A need based comprehensive medical and hospitalization program
Medicaid
Medicaid is designed to cover citizens with….
Low income
Medicaid is ran jointly by the federal government and the states. True or false?
True
What role does the Federal Government play in Medicaid?
They require a minimum level of benefits the state must offer through Medicaid
What is the role the state plays in Medicaid?
They have leeway to determine income levels and other criteria
An overriding and persistent concern in regards to the educational system
Equity
What does the Elementary and Second Education Act of 1965 come from?
Brown vs. Board of Education
What did George W. Bush create in 2001?
No Child Left Behind Act
No Child Left Behind requires…
- All students will be at a proficient level for math an reading by 2014
- Schools can only hire qualified teachers in core subjects
What are two kinds of benefits that the government provides?
- Cash (retiree’s SS)
* Noncash (food stamps)
Only available to people whose income falls below a designated threshold
Means Tested Benefits
What are two acceptable Means Tested Benefits?
College grants and free lunch programs
What are two examples of non-mean tested benefits?
Medicare and social security
Benefits apply to all people regardless of income
Non-Means Tested Benefits
