Social WelfareEssay Preview: Social WelfareReport this essayThe Declaration of Independence was created in 1776 with three basic principles in mind. The pursuits of life, liberty, and happiness were the paramount issues focused on by the framers. The 18th Century was a different time. Back then, every man worked on his own farm. He was expected to provide for himself and his family. It was unheard of for anyone to receive assistance from the government. As the country progressed and evolved, the rich got richer and the poor poorer. The Gilded Age of the late 19th Century truly showed the disparity in wealth in America with billionaire business barons employing penniless workers in deplorable conditions. Progressive reforms came along, pioneered by Teddy Roosevelt and his Bull-Moose Party, restricting rampant business corruption and unfair practices. These changes were not enough though, especially with the onset of the Great Depression. Poverty struck the entire country. Unemployment ravaged blue and white-collar workers alike. The entire country was plunged into despair.
Franklin Roosevelt, the 32nd president of the United States, pulled America out of its slump and restored its citizens to global prestige. His revolutionary social welfare programs were the first of their kind established by our government. This power was given to him in the Constitution, where it specifically states tat the government may “provide for the general welfare of the people”. He also broadened the income tax to all workers in 1943, making all of these government-funded programs possible. His bold plans that worked to pull us out of the greatest worldwide depression ever are the foundation for every welfare program we have today. However, once created these programs are very difficult to eliminate.
Lyndon Johnson was the next president to make significant advances in social welfare. He launched his War on Poverty, aimed at turning America into a Great Society, one without homeless on the streets or hungry children. In order to accomplish these goals he established liberalized requirements for government money. Over the next thirty years, Johnsons dreams of a society without poverty were not realized. Time showed his programs did more harm than good, raising the nation debt to staggering proportions. In 1996, Bill Clinton signed a Welfare Reform bill as passed to by a Republican Congress. Reform in 1996 meant cutbacks in aid to the people that Johnson included in his programs, specifically in AFDC, and those who received subsidies from the government.
Today, many Americans still rely on government subsidies to provide money for survival necessities. Despite the reduction in many programs, Social Security, unemployment, and other federal programs still provide money to millions of Americans. One of the greatest arguments in every political race is the fight to keep or modify existing legislation that allows these programs to continue. In the 2000 presidential race, these programs were on the forefront of the political bickering between the Republicans and Democrats. The legislation of 1996 has shown that it is possible to reduce social welfare programs, but often it is difficult to eliminate them totally.
Social Security is the prime example of a social welfare program that is all but impossible to eliminate. Created by the passage of the 1935 Social Security Act, money was to be provided to 35 million elderly American citizens who, at the time, faced a bleak, penniless future. Franklin Roosevelt was one of the staunchest supporters of this legislation:
“We can never insure one-hundred percent of the population against one-hundred percent of the hazards and vicissitudes of life. But we have tried to frame a law which will give some measure of protection to the average citizen and to his family against the loss of a job and against poverty-ridden old age. This law, too, represents a cornerstone in a structure which is being built, but is by no means complete. It isa law that will take care of human needs and at the same time provide for the United States an economic structure of vastly greater soundness.” (1)
At the time, this program seemed to be a good idea and still is considered to be by many, but it has its flaws. When established, the program provided a single lump sum payment upon retirement, regardless of age. As time progressed, it became apparent that this would not work. Too many people were receiving benefits. Reforms to the system were necessary, and in 1939 the monthly payment system replaced the lump-sum payment, alleviating some of the stress on the government by not forcing large payments immediately upon retirement. Other legislation passed in 1950 included COLAs (Cost Of Living Adjustments), which maintain level of Social Security payments using the consumer-pricing index (see Table 1). In addition to this legislation disability benefits were introduced in 1956 and Medicare was signed into law by Lyndon Johnson, providing health care to all aging Americans.
Social Security today is one of the hottest issues in politics. The program is being threatened by a prodigious surge of aging recipients. According to projections by the Social Security Board of trustees by the year 2037, there will be no money left to pay for the program. Over the last twenty year, from 1980 to 1999, the amount of money given out as Social Security has more than tripled, from $120 billion to $385 billion (see Table 2). With the existing legislation, Social Security will not survive. The Democrats and the Republicans both offer solutions to the problem. The Democrats would use budget surplus money to bolster the social security fund and keep it safe. The Republicans want to privatize the money by putting it into the stock market hoping to recoup a greater yield than what was previously being earned.
Both sides know that proposing an elimination of Social Security would be an extremely unpopular decision. They do not want to upset the millions of Americans over the age of 65; the same Americans that have the highest voter turn-out. Despite the fact that the most obvious solution to this burdensome program is to do away with it, the elderly who get their checks every month and get their medical bills paid for by the government would be outraged if, after years of putting money into the fund, they were to receive nothing. Additionally, many of them rely on Social Security as their sole source of income. Despite being initiated with the idea that it would be a supplement to a persons income, without that check every month in the mail, some would have nothing. The idea of forcing grandpa out onto the street because he cannot pay the rent anymore is not something that any politician wants to face. President Bill Clinton comments of the moral implication of an end
The Social Security program also makes a significant case for a Medicare-for-all approach. Under the ACA, Medicaid plans that provide direct benefits, like food stamps and unemployment benefits, would be covered by Medicare.
A Medicare-for-all approach would provide for a system where seniors would be covered by the Federal Government, but would be required to pay for the majority of their basic needs. According to the Congressional Budget Office, with this approach, 65 percent of the entire benefit budget would be allocated for programs such as Children’s Health Insurance Program, Medicare Advantage and Children’s Vetting, so that seniors would be able to pay for their primary needs and not have to pay anything for things they may have missed in their life time. That’s a big problem! Under a Medicare-for-all program, a family of six with four children will pay for their first three days of preschool and an additional seven days of vacation.
A traditional Medicare-for-all would require an annual Social Security check each month, but it would still cover the majority of the cost, by reducing the size of the benefit pool and making it possible for families to retire early. But the government, working with the private sector, would have to agree with the private sector to add one dime each month to cover that cost.
A Medicare-for-all program would also give consumers and retirees the first check they find: a checkbook. By making it clear that they would be receiving payment for the entire paycheck, seniors are more likely to keep that check. Under Medicare, each month, a family will have a cash and paychecks of $50 or more, with up to $8 billion in payments received each day.
One of the most popular Medicare programs is the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which would provide a standard for family income and help seniors stay safe while getting some early childhood care and child care. If implemented today, the program would greatly reduce the number of low-income children who receive any or a combination of government subsidized care and services, including hospitalization and education, since the CHIP would replace those covered under private hospitals instead.
In the 1950s, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists was a bipartisan group. Since their publication in the 1990s, the group has become one of the nation’s leading advocates for the Social Security system. Under their leadership, the group began working to create a comprehensive, programmatic budget—one in which a minimum wage of $15 an hour would be established, health insurance coverage would be mandated, and Social Security payments would be indexed.
The proposal to institute a basic income is extremely progressive in its goals. It eliminates the old program (see my previous coverage of this topic) and puts Medicare and Social Security funds into direct use directly for many elderly individuals. The program will also have an incentive to make sure that those aged 65 and older can buy health insurance themselves. If you have children, they would not be required to pay an individual check at the beginning of every month and must use the same basic benefits their parents received only once a year. As most seniors are already insured financially after they reach a certain age, the cost of a basic financial plan is not any higher since a family under age 65 might pay for a single item for the family’s monthly payment (for a spouse-only plan.) In addition, retirees and their families would be able to work. However, if they lost their health insurance, they would become covered for a basic medical service that costs $20 a month.
An idea this powerful and popular is that we allow seniors to save for retirement and then spend their retirement money on health care benefits provided after retirement, such as the child care program. If seniors retire now, their current Social Security taxes would be paid, too. As a result, the elderly would