D

The“welfare state”refers to a set of programs designed to provide assistance to people in need.The basic foundations of the American welfare state were laid down during the administration of Franklin D.Roosevelt during the Great Depression of the 1930s.In response to the Great Depression，Roosevelt’s administration enacted many important laws to try to help people overcome economic difficulties.One of the most important piece of legislation was the Social Security Act of 1935，which provided protection to citizens against the economic risks of unemployment and old age.Current Social Security programs include Old Age and Disability Insurance，and Supplemental Security Income.Other important federal welfare state programs include Medicare and Unemployment Insurance.

Social Security’s Old Age and Disability Insurance，as well as Medicare，and Unemployment Insurance，are all social insurance programs.These programs are supported by taxes levied on both employers and employees，with the exception of Unemployment Insurance which is entirely covered by employers.The Social Security program is run by the federal government，which mails monthly payments to the retired，the disabled，and the dependent children.The full retirement age as defined by Social Security is from 65 to 67 depending on the recipient’s date of birth.

Medicare is the national health insurance program for people over 65 years old.The program is run by the federal agency，the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services（CMS），and is paid for through 2 trust fund accounts held by the U.S.Treasure.

Unemployment Insurance is another program mandated by the Social Security Act of 1935，which provides a safety net for many people against economic problems in case of job loss.The program is run by the states with funds from both state governments and the federal government.To be eligible for unemployment benefits，an unemployed person must have worked for a covered employer（an employer covered by the Social Security Act）and have earned a certain amount of wages within a certain period.Worker’s compensation programs provide compensation to workers and their dependents for job related accidents or illnesses that result in death or disability.These programs are financed by employers and administered by individual states，and their cost has been escalating rapidly in recent years.

Aside from social insurance programs，the Social Security Act also includes several welfare programs funded by the federal government.The principal welfare programs include Temporary Aid for Needy Families（TANF），and Supplementary Security Income（SSI）.

The Temporary Aid for Needy Families（TANF）program provides financial assistance to low⁃income families.TANF replaced an earlier program called Aid to Families with Dependent Children（AFDC）in 1996，because AFDC had been accused of contributing to many social problems including the breakdown of families，unwed motherhood，and unemployment.In an attempt to avoid such problems，TANF places time limits on benefits to low⁃income families with dependent children and requires the benefit recipients to work in order to receive those benefits.

Supplementary Security Income（SSI），created in 1974，is entirely funded and operated by the federal government.SSI includes Old Age Assistance to seniors who are not covered by social security，Aid to the Blind，and Aid to the Disabled.

Besides cash programs，the government also provides some in⁃kind（i.e.，non⁃monetary）benefits to people who suffer from poverty，hunger and illness.The major in⁃kind welfare benefits include the Food Stamp program，Medicaid，and housing assistance.The Food Stamp program originally issued paper coupons that could be used only to buy food，paid for by the federal government.The paper coupons have now been replaced by electronic debit card and the program officially renamed the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program（SNAP），but most people continue to refer to it as“Food Stamps”.Both the working and non⁃working poor can apply for the program.In addition，millions of children from low⁃income families receive free meals at school through the National School Lunch and School Breakfast programs.

Medicaid is a healthcare assistance program that provides medical benefits for low⁃income people.The federal government sets general rules for the program and pay 57％ of the costs;while state governments operate the program and pay 43％ of the Costs.

Housing assistance exists in several forms.The earliest programs focused on building public housing，and federal subsidies were given to local governments for the construction of low⁃rent public housing.Since 1974，the government has instead given rent subsidies directly to low⁃income people，who use them to rent private housing.However，housing assistance is not an entitlement;not all eligible people can receive housing assistance due to funding limitations，so there are generally waitlists.

There are many other kinds of welfare assistance for low⁃income families，including energy assistance，legal services，employment assistance，family planning，supplementary food programs，and services for the care of mentally disabled people.These programs provide for many of the basic needs of disadvantaged Americans.However，there continue to be controversies over whether these programs play a positive role in society and whether they are too much of a drain on public finances.