
 Welfare
 
  Welfare is a government program that provides money, medical care, 
 
 food, housing, and other things that people need in order to survive.  People 
 
 who can receive help from these welfare programs are children, elders, 
 
 disabled, and others who cannot support their families on their current 
 
 income.  Another name for welfare is public assistance.
 
  There are many organizations that supply this public assistance.  Such 
 
 as Salvation Army and other groups.  Public assistance benefits help many 
 
 people who live below the poverty line, an income level is established for 
 
 families.  If your income is below this you would be eligible to receive this 
 
 help.
 
 Welfare in the United States
 
  Federal and state governments in the Unites States serve the poor 
 
 people through about 60 public assistance programs.  Most people receive 
 
 help through one of the four major programs.  These programs are Medicaid, 
 
 Aid to families with dependant Children, Social Security, or Supplemental 
 
 Security, or the food stamps program.  I will discuss the four programs 
 
 individually.
 
  Medicaid provides free medical care to the poor people.  Funds vary 
 
 from state to state.  In some situations, people who may be able to pay daily 
 
 needs, but can't afford large medical bills may also be able to receive 
 
 Medicaid.  Some services paid for are bills such as doctor's visits and nursing 
 
 home care.  Most Medicaid funding comes from the federal government.  
 
 The rest is supplied by the state.  Each state runs their own Medicaid 
 
 program.
 
  A.F.D.C. provides cash benefits to dependent children and the parents 
 
 or the guardians taking care of them.  Most families that qualify for A.F.D.C. 
 
 have just one parent in the home.  About 80 percent of these families are 
 
 headed by a woman.  A.F.D.C. also pays benefits to two-parent families if 
 
 both parents are unemployed.  Most A.F.D.C. funding comes from the 
 
 federal government.  The states provide the rest of the money and administer 
 
 the program.  The sizes of families' payment vary from state to state.  
 
  Next is Social Security Income.  This provides financial Aid to people 
 
 in need who are at least 65 years old, blind, or disabled.  The federal 
 
 government finances and administers social security income programs in 
 
 most states, though some states supply the federal payment and are able to 
 
 run their own programs.
 
  Finally, the Food Stamp Program helps low-income households buy 
 
 more and better food than they could otherwise afford.  Each participating 
 
 household receives a certain number of coupons called food stamps.  The 
 
 stamps are issued by the federal government.  The number of stamps a 
 
 household receives varies with the family's size, income, and expenses.  
 
 Cooperating grocery stores accept the stamps like money for food purchases 
 
 only.
 
  There are other programs such as energy assistance and public 
 
 housing.  Energy assistance, which is federally financed but administered by 
 
 the states, helps people pay fuel bills.  Public housing provides low cost 
 
 rental apartments in government owned buildings.
 
  State and local governments fund and administer their own general 
 
 assistance programs.  These programs provide financial aid for needy people 
 
 who do not qualify for other types of welfare.  People waiting to receive 
 
 assistance from other programs also may get temporary emergency aid from 
 
 general assistance.
 
  Back in the early days, welfare resembled the English system.  Social 
 
 governments were responsible for helping the poor.  But the colonies and 
 
 later the states, sometimes helped the local government provide aid.  The first 
 
 federal welfare program, began after the Revolutionary War, they provided 
 
 pensions to war veterans.  During the Civil War these pensions were 
 
 expanded to cover soldiers' widows and orphans.  In the early 1900's, 
 
 primary responsibility for providing welfare benefits shifted from local to 
 
 state governments.  During these years, states enacted programs to aid 
 
 dependent children and the elderly.  
 
  The criticisms of welfare ranges over a number of social and economic 
 
 issues.  Some people criticize welfare programs for not providing high 
 
 enough benefits to eliminate poverty.  Spending on welfare would have to 
 
 increase greatly to eliminate poverty, and many people believe the cost is 
 
 already too high.
 
  Many critics of the welfare system charge that providing a steady 
 
 income to needy people encourages idleness.  Actually, most welfare benefits 
 
 go to elderly, blind, and disabled people and mothers with young children.  
 
 But welfare does discourage some recipients from working harder by 
 
 reducing benefits if their income increases.
 
  Many people also criticize the welfare system for being too complex 
 
 and costly to administer.  Each program has its own eligibility requirements 
 
 and ways of calculating benefits, and these rules vary from state to state.  
 
 Public officials collect detailed information about applicants to determine 
 
 their eligibility for benefits.  This process is time-consuming and costly.
 
  Some people cheat the system by not reporting all the income they 
 
 earn.  But suppliers of services to welfare recipients account for most of the 
 
 fraud in welfare.  Some physicians, pharmacists, and others have been 
 
 overpaid because they have made up false bills.
 
  In my opinion I believe you need welfare because people do need help.  
 
 But I would lower its percent because it won't hurt that much.  Most 
 
 importantly we have to do a better job at finding all the people who cheat the 
 
 program and make them work to repay it.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Bibliography
 
 1.  World Almanac and Book of Facts 1995
 
       Published by: Funk & Wagnalls Corporation
 
 
 2.  World Almanac 1989
 
       Published by: Washington Times Corporation
 