Social Welfare Policy Analysis

Blaming the Victim

This does not really apply to this policy. While it does isolate the poorest seniors and gives them more benefits, this is not blaming them and is actually helping them survive.

Values Analysis

This does not apply to this policy.

Residual and Institutional Approaches to Social Welfare This proposed policy would be both a residual and institutional approach to social welfare. There would most likely be some sort of stigma attached to receiving more Social Security benefits, but it would not have to be made extremely public, such as how the SNAP program runs today. Also, since the poorest people are receiving the most money and is used as a safety net when their other income is not enough, it would be classified as residual.

There are numerous latent functions associated with this policy. First, the funding for these governmental programs will not run out as quickly, so they will not have to borrow money or abruptly cut benefits. Next, the neediest Social Security and Medicare recipients would be able to save more money than usual and perhaps have a fund in case of emergencies. This would lead to a sense of security in their financial well-being and less anxiety over any potential problems that may arise. In addition, they could also spend more and stimulate the economy with the money they will save on health care expenses and other services. Finally, there would appear to be a more “level playing field” and those who need the most will receive the most. The people who already have enough money to survive do not need all of these extra benefits, and since the percentage of seniors actually living in poverty is fairly small, this readjustment can make that statistic even lower. However, the opposite would be in effect for those who will get less from these programs. There will most likely be backlash and bad publicity regarding this from those in the higher classes. Secondly, these people may have to start cutting corners financially and will not be spending as much in the economy. Overall, another latent function would be having money in the federal budget to spend in other ways. If money is being cut back from these two programs, more can be spend where it is very much needed, such as education and taking care of the large national