Copyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman Longman PoliticalScienceInteractive Magleby & Light Government by the People Chapter 19 Making Social Policy

Copyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman Prescription Drugs for the Elderly Until 2006, older citizens had to pay for prescription drugs mostly on their own The attempt by Congress to provide prescription drug coverage illustrates the difficulty in designing and implementing social policy –Many older people remain uninsured –Drugs within a certain price range remain uncovered –The long-term financial problems of the program were not addressed

Copyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman Who is Responsible for the Needy? “As far as I’m concerned, they can do what they want with the minimum wage, just as long as they keep their hands off the maximum wage.”

Copyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman The Early History of Social Policy in the United States The ideology of “rugged individualism” contributed to the late development of social programs in the United States Military veterans and widows were exceptions Entitlement Programs such as unemployment insurance, disaster relief, or disability payments that provide benefits to all eligible citizens Means-Tested Entitlement Programs such as Medicaid and welfare under which applicants must meet eligibility requirements based on need

Copyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman The Early History of Social Policy in the United States Most of America’s social welfare programs began in either the Great Depression of the 1930s or the War on Poverty in the 1960s

Copyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman The Goals of Social Policy Federal domestic policy focuses on two broad goals Protecting citizens against poverty and misfortune Raising the quality of life for all Americans through policies that are available to all communities regardless of need

Copyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman Types of Protection Entitlements Social Security Unemployment Compensation Supplemental Security Income Family Assistance Food Stamps Earned Income Credit Medicaid

Copyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman Federal Payments to Individuals, 2008

Copyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman The New Deal President Roosevelt's New Deal plan expanded government programs so much that it has been called the "big bang" of domestic policy

Copyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman The New Deal Help for older Americans Help for the unemployed Help for the poor Social Security Medicare Supplemental Security Income Unemployment insurance Infancy and Maternity Protection Act of 1921 School lunch program Aid to Families with Dependent Children

Copyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman Social Security Financed by taxes paid by employers and employees; now more than most workers pay in income tax Provides a minimum income for poor beneficiaries Provides benefits proportional to the amount of payroll taxes a beneficiary has paid “Pay as you go” system

Copyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman Help for the Unemployed and Low-Income Workers Unemployment insurance Minimum wage Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) –Tax refund –Particularly helpful to unmarried working mothers

Copyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman Help for the Poor Infancy and Maternity Protection Act (1921) Aid to Families with Dependent Children (1935) School lunch program

Copyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman The Great Society Social Programs Created Food Stamps Head Start Medicaid Supplemental Security Income Housing Assistance

Copyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman The Great Society Social Policies Enacted Civil Rights Act of 1964 Food Stamp Act of 1965 Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 Higher Education Act of 1965 Department of Housing and Urban Development Act of 1965 Child Nutrition Act of 1966 Fair Packaging and Labeling Act of 1966 Age Discrimination Act of 1967 Housing and Urban Development Act of 1968 Open Housing Act of 1968

Copyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman Reforming Welfare President Clinton made a promise to “end welfare as we know it” In 1994, AFDC was replaced with the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families

Copyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman Reforming Welfare This program helps welfare recipients find jobs in the wake of reforms

Copyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman The Federal Role in Health Care National Institutes of Health Surgeon general (head of Public Health Service) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Copyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman The Rising Cost of Health Care Controlling for inflation, costs have nearly quadrupled since 1970 Employers have steadily increased the amount that employees have to pay Causes: –Longer life expectancy –Unnecessary procedures/tests –New technologies

Copyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman Covering the Uninsured Single-payer system Prepaid health plans Employer-mandated coverage Spending caps Individual responsibility for coverage Medical savings accounts

Copyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman Changing Priorities in the Federal Budget

Copyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman Where the Health Care Dollar Was Spent, 2006

Copyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman Where the Health Care Dollar Came From, 2006

Copyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman The Federal Role in Education Elementary and Secondary Education Head Start is an attempt by the federal government to invest in the education of children in low-income communities –Funding only covers one- third of eligible children Higher Education In 2005, the federal government provided roughly 70 percent of the financial aid that college students receive

Copyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman The Federal Role in Crime Control Congress has used its power to ban the sale and ownership of semiautomatic weapons and assault rifles and to set age minimums for the purchase of handguns and long guns

Copyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman Should the government be allowed to compile information from citizens’ telephone calls, s, and web searches, as well as from financial, school, and medical records? 9/11 and the USA PATRIOT Act