Essay Example on Welfare Programs: Government Subsidies For Low-Income Individuals

Introduction

The welfare programs are the government subsidies that are developed for low-income individuals and families. Individuals benefiting from these programs have to prove their income levels to the federal government before they start benefiting from these programs. For example, some of the welfare programs in the United States are Medicaid, housing assistance, Temporary Assistance for the Needy families and he Supplemental Security Income. In the United States, the federal government tends to fund these programs as the state government administers the programs. The Congress debates for these programs, thus minimizing the funding of a specific program that existed. Also, whenever Congress minimizes the program funding without cutting the government responsibilities, it results in an unfunded mandate. Therefore, through the welfare programs, the low-income groups in the society can access the essential necessities such as accessibility to medical care from the government.

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Purpose of the Welfare Programs

The United States welfare programs are divided into economic and social welfare. The social welfare programs are the services provided to assist the disadvantaged groups to function in society. Besides, the economic welfare systems tend to help the families and people that cannot support themselves due to underemployment, hardship, disability, and unemployment. In the United States, single parents and elderly persons are eligible to access these programs. Therefore, due to welfare abuse, the federal government needs proof of people’s financial requirements compared to the set standards.

How People can Deal with Poverty in the United States

The United States government calculates the threshold income level to determine the individuals living below the poverty line. The poverty measures in the United States reflect how behavior, economy and policy affects the people's income levels. The state develops comprehensive government programs that help in migrating the poverty levels. For example, social security and social assistance programs have mitigated the poverty levels for low-income families and Americans. Also, the government utilizes charities to alleviate poverty levels. For example, the food pantry networks have helped the food insecure people access food and other necessities. Therefore, it is difficult to determine the impact created by the charity groups in mitigation of poverty among the Americans.

Should we have Work Requirements for the Welfare Programs?

Individuals should not work for welfare since welfare assistances are the non-cash program. For example, food stamps and health insurance covers do not need disadvantaged individuals to work to receive taxpayer benefits. The welfare programs tend to provide vital assistance that helps American families to make ends meet during the worst economic times. For working groups, work is the best alternative to move away from poverty. For example, the highest percentage of the food stamps and Medicaid beneficiaries are the working populations. Therefore, since some citizens are not employed, work cannot be termed as a requirement for an individual to access welfare.

Is Welfare Fair? And is it fair to the People on it?

Welfare is unfair to the benefits provided to recipients and the working American citizens. The current welfare systems have obtained the natural incentives for one's accomplishment, thus replacing it with the incentives that acquire the primary benefits from the state government. Also, middle and lower-income earning families are penalized whenever they do no pay for various welfare program such as Medicaid. Therefore, for the government address must reduce the chances for fraud and restructure the reimbursement and assistance rules to make the system fair to those in it and other citizens.