Welfare

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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 were below this you would be eligible to receive this

help.

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 dependent 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

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