Welfare Public Policy Final Paper
Welfare Public Policy
February 1, 2015
Public Policy and Social Services-SOC320
Professor Bernie Colon
Even though the people end up suffering in some states due to the welfare benefits not being enough, welfare has been reformed and is now controlled by individual states rather than the federal government. This makes it easier for the welfare benefits to be monitored since it’s state by state instead of at a federal level, or so the government thinks or says. Many people that are in need of benefits don’t get them and people that don’t need them abuse the system to get what they want instead of what they need. Some states like Florida are helpful when it comes to giving aid to families with small children if they need money for food or if they need healthcare. The welfare policy is in place for people that are below poverty line and that are either ill or disabled and unable to work. The whole point to the welfare system is to support people that need help while working to make ends meet and to help those that are ill or disabled that cannot work to provide for themselves. Welfare for the disabled and poor has been an issue in the United States for many years yet benefits to those in need were not given until the 1930’s. President Franklin D. Roosevelt took notice while in office and in 1935 the first national welfare system was established to help aid those that needed help. The elderly, disabled, and the poor were given some benefits to help them but the resources were more limited at that time and the cost of living was also lower. The benefits included food to eat, clothing to keep warm, as well as shelter to those that needed it. There was also some cash benefits given but those depended on their property taxes. As the years went by more welfare reforms began taking place and in 1965 people were able to get help with healthcare with Medicare for the elderly and Medicaid for the poor. In the 1990’s President Bill Clinton tried to reform
February 1, 2015
Public Policy and Social Services-SOC320
Professor Bernie Colon
Even though the people end up suffering in some states due to the welfare benefits not being enough, welfare has been reformed and is now controlled by individual states rather than the federal government. This makes it easier for the welfare benefits to be monitored since it’s state by state instead of at a federal level, or so the government thinks or says. Many people that are in need of benefits don’t get them and people that don’t need them abuse the system to get what they want instead of what they need. Some states like Florida are helpful when it comes to giving aid to families with small children if they need money for food or if they need healthcare. The welfare policy is in place for people that are below poverty line and that are either ill or disabled and unable to work. The whole point to the welfare system is to support people that need help while working to make ends meet and to help those that are ill or disabled that cannot work to provide for themselves. Welfare for the disabled and poor has been an issue in the United States for many years yet benefits to those in need were not given until the 1930’s. President Franklin D. Roosevelt took notice while in office and in 1935 the first national welfare system was established to help aid those that needed help. The elderly, disabled, and the poor were given some benefits to help them but the resources were more limited at that time and the cost of living was also lower. The benefits included food to eat, clothing to keep warm, as well as shelter to those that needed it. There was also some cash benefits given but those depended on their property taxes. As the years went by more welfare reforms began taking place and in 1965 people were able to get help with healthcare with Medicare for the elderly and Medicaid for the poor. In the 1990’s President Bill Clinton tried to reform
References: Theodoulou, S. Z. & Kofinis, C. (2012). The policy game: Understanding U.S. public policy making. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. Bruce S. Jansson, The Reluctant Welfare State: American Social Welfare Policies-Past, Present, and Future, 4th ed. (Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning, 2001), pp. 194, 199; Sar A. Levitan, Garth L. Mangum, and Stephen L. Mangum, Programs in Aid of the Poor (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1998) William C. Frederick, Keith Davis, James E. Post, Business And Society: Corporate Strategy, Public Policy, Ethics, 6th ed. (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1988) Janet D. Perloff, “Medicaid Managed Care And Urban Poor People: Implications for Social Work,” Health & Social Work 21(3): (1996). Kessides I. Public Capital, Growth and Welfare: Analytical Foundations for Public Policy. Journal Of Economic Literature [serial online]. September 2013;51(3):891-894. Available from: EconLit with Full Text, Ipswich, MA. Accessed February 1, 2015. Marx, Nonprofit Management & Leadership, p. 20; Olcott, p. 15; United Way of America, 2001.