Essay/Term paper: Heloo

Essay, term paper, research paper:  English Composition

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.