Deck 14: Social Welfare and Health Care Politics

Question 1

Which of the following is NOT true regarding America's urban poor?

A) Joblessness, social isolation, and impoverished neighborhoods are all symptoms of America's urban poverty.
B) America's urban poor is mostly isolated in the cities, with few rural areas having high rates of unemployment.
C) America's poor often remain hidden, out of plain sight for the majority of Americans.
D) Poverty is caused by low levels of education, few economic opportunities, and lack of community safeguards and resources.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Which 1935 federal law created several domestic welfare programs, including Aid to Families with Dependent Children?

A) Social Security Act
B) Welfare Reform Act
C) National Welfare Protection Act
D) Aid to Families Act

Answer 2

A

Question 3

According to data from the U.S. Census, roughly what percent of the country lived below the poverty line in 2009?

A) 7 percent
B) 14 percent
C) 21 percent
D) 28 percent

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Which state led the nation with a poverty level over 20 percent in 2010?

A) Mississippi
B) Texas
C) Utah
D) Arkansas

Question 5

During which period did the federal government's role in health care and social welfare programs dramatically change?

A) Great Society
B) New Deal
C) New Federalism
D) Jacksonian Democracy

Question 6

Which of the following is NOT true regarding the 2009 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act?

A) It had broad bipartisan support in Congress.
B) It is derisively known as ObamaCare.
C) It forbids insurance companies from dropping patients with high medical costs.
D) It forbids insurance companies from refusing coverage to those with pre-existing conditions.

Question 7

America's urban poor, which has long been a focus of social welfare reformers, has been termed by some as America's

A) underclass.
B) economic problem.
C) uberpoor.
D) urban dwellers.

Question 8

According to the U.S. Census Bureau 2011 Federal Guideline, the poverty income level for a household for a family of four is

A) $15,050 or less.
B) $22,350 or less.
C) $27,050 or less.
D) $30,500 or less.

Question 9

Which of the following is NOT true regarding poverty?

A) The definition of poverty is not entirely clear and defining it is not a science.
B) The official U. S. government measure of poverty has changed over time.
C) Children, women, and minorities are disproportionately likely to be poor in America.
D) The U.S. Census Bureau 2011 official poverty level for a family of four is an income of approximately $30,500 or less.

Question 10

The 2009 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act benefits millions of college-age students by

A) requiring them to purchase health insurance or forgo treatment.
B) allowing them to delay having to register for "death panels."
C) granting them discounted admission to health care franchises.
D) permitting individuals younger than 26 to remain on their parents' insurance plans.

Question 11

Where the degree of economic and racial inequality is higher, social welfare spending in the states tends to be

A) higher.
B) average.
C) lower.
D) non-existent.

Question 12

During his presidential campaign, which eventual winner told half-truths about a Chicago "welfare queen" in an attempt to demonize welfare recipients?

A) Ronald Reagan
B) George H.W. Bush
C) Jimmy Carter
D) Richard Nixon

Question 13

Some scholars argue that the fragmented welfare state and paltry benefits have contributed to the rise in poverty of female-headed households, which is known as

A) the feminization of poverty.
B) feminazism.
C) the race to the bottom.
D) social Darwinism.

Question 14

Which of the following is NOT true regarding welfare policymaking and experimentation?

A) States have been coined as "laboratories of democracy" in order to experiment with different policies without risk to the entire nation.
B) The competition and experimentation among states and localities often leads to best practices in the provisions of social welfare policy.
C) Allowing states and localities to experiment with public policies can help foster and develop a set of best practices for other jurisdictions to emulate.
D) Competition may lead to a race to the top, with states and localities trying to add social welfare and health care benefits to attract more people to their location.

Question 15

Political scientist Jack Walker developed a public policy model called the "S-curve." What does the "S-curve" represent?

A) The average recipient's length of time on welfare
B) The average age of those receiving Medicaid across the states
C) The average income of people receiving welfare across the states
D) The diffusion of public policies across the states

Question 16

Which of the following factors is often used by political scientists to explain policy diffusion?

A) Geographic proximity
B) Political similarities
C) Demographic similarities
D) Budgetary similarities

Question 17

In theory, the crafting, implementation, and costs of our health care and social welfare policies are

A) to be devolved to the states and their communities.
B) the responsibility of the federal government.
C) social experiments directed by the federal government.
D) constitutionally guaranteed to citizens of every state.

Question 18

With a rate of 7.7 percent in 2010, which state has the lowest poverty level in the nation?

A) California
B) Wisconsin
C) New Hampshire
D) South Dakota

Question 19

When a state or community adopts or emulates another jurisdiction's policies, it is known as

A) policy emulation.
B) copy-and-share politics.
C) policy diffusion.
D) imitation politics.

Question 20

Which of the following types of programs is not means-tested and is created by government to socialize risk?

A) Public assistance
B) Social insurance
C) Assistance insurance
D) Social work

Question 21

Which of the following is NOT true regarding the food stamps program?

A) The program imposes nationally uniform standards so there is little variation among the states.
B) Eligibility for the program is largely determined by income levels.
C) Legal immigrants may not participate in the program.
D) Beneficiaries are issued electronic debit cards, which they may use to purchase food from participating retailers.

Question 22

Which of the following is NOT true regarding the factors attributed to the drop in welfare cases following the passage of TANF?

A) The federal government required states to clamp down on serial welfare recipients by forcing all recipients off welfare after ten years on the program.
B) The states were required to place most TANF recipients into work programs.
C) When the new TANF regulations were first being implemented, states were greatly assisted in getting individuals off of their welfare rolls by the booming economy.
D) TANF's strict eligibility guidelines helped to lower the participation rates.

Question 23

Which of the following is NOT true regarding Social Security?

A) In 2010, nearly 53 million Americans received approximately $703 billon in benefits.
B) Workers contributed 7.65 percent of their gross paycheck (capped at $102,000) into the fund, which is matched by their employers.
C) Critics of Social Security argue that the program is unnecessary, as most workers have dedicated retirement savings.
D) Nine out of every ten individuals over the age of 65 receives a Social Security check.

Question 24

Currently, the federal minimum hourly wage in the United States is

A) $5.75
B) $6.50
C) $7.25
D) $8.00

Question 25

What is the U.S. Food Stamps program now formally known as?

A) Food With Initiative Welfare (FWIW)
B) Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
C) Nourishment for Those In Need (NTIN)
D) NutritiCare

Question 26

Which programs providing aid to the poor are means-tested and available only to individuals falling below a predetermined level?

A) Public assistance
B) Social insurance
C) Assistance insurance
D) Social work

Question 27

A wage (and benefits package) that allows working members of a community to live above the poverty level is known as a

A) true wage.
B) living wage.
C) realistic wage.
D) pragmatic wage.

Question 28

Which federal program is funded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture and is jointly administered by the states?

A) Social Security
B) Food Stamps
C) Worker's Compensation
D) Federal Housing

Question 29

On average, how much does someone on Food Stamps receive in benefits per meal?

A) $0.97
B) $1.13
C) $2.52
D) $3.21

Question 30

In Washington, California, Oregon, Florida, Nevada, and Vermont, the state's minimum wage

A) is set at $8.25 and hour.
B) is set according to the occupation.
C) is indexed to the rate of inflation.
D) is lower than the federal minimum wage.

Question 31

Which of the following state "employment" programs requires all eligible recipients to work or further their education?

A) California Helping Employers Program (CHEP)
B) Wisconsin Works (W-2) Program
C) Hawaii Education and Labor Program (HELP)
D) Pennsylvania EduWork Program (PEWP)

Question 32

Between 2008 and 2010, several states, including Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, New Hampshire, Oregon, South Carolina, Utah, and Washington

A) experienced a 30 percent increase in TANF recipients.
B) experienced a 30 percent decline in TANF recipients.
C) moved 70 percent of their welfare recipients into the workforce.
D) moved 70 percent of their welfare recipients into their State Children's Health Insurance Programs.

Question 33

According to a study conducted by the New York Times in 2009 on the variation in government aid across the states,

A) there is widespread fraud in the distribution of state unemployment benefits.
B) only the Wisconsin Works (W-2) Program saved the state money.
C) individuals eligible for Food Stamps had the most difficulty enrolling in the program.
D) states have very different requirements that individuals must meet in order to be eligible for public assistance.

Question 34

Social Security is what kind of program?

A) Ad hoc
B) Welfare
C) Entitlement
D) Means-tested

Question 35

Which of the following is NOT true regarding Temporary Aid to Needy Families (TANF)?

A) States are allowed to reduce their expenditures on welfare benefits.
B) Just two years after President Bill Clinton signed TANF into law, welfare spending by the states and communities was reduced by approximately 20 percent.
C) States can remove recipients from the welfare rolls sooner than the five-year maximum limit.
D) By most standards, cash transfers to welfare are extremely high.

Question 36

When examining numbers of individuals receiving aid under AFDC versus TANF, it appears the TANF program has been a(n)

A) political flop.
B) success.
C) economic failure.
D) asset in giving more people welfare.

Question 37

Which program temporarily helps workers who have involuntarily lost their jobs?

A) Unemployment Insurance Program
B) Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
C) Protection from Unemployment Program
D) Workers Protection Program

Question 38

Workers earning minimum wage (or even more) are known as the

A) working poor.
B) disadvantaged citizens.
C) uneducated workforce.
D) line-workers.

Question 39

Which of the following is the primary goal of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program?

A) Providing care for needy children
B) Promoting preparation for jobs, work, and marriage
C) Moving recipients off welfare and into the workforce
D) Encouraging the formation and preservation of two-parent families.

Question 40

Some critics of cutbacks to public assistance programs often criticize

A) governors for vetoing legislation that is detrimental to the poor.
B) state legislatures for catering to the needy.
C) the wealthy for being too politically organized.
D) low wages that put a strain on social welfare programs.

Question 41

One main reason why Medicaid costs have escalated for the states is that

A) patents are expiring, and prescription medicine has become more expensive.
B) the federal government has cut its share of Medicaid funding.
C) less people are qualifying for Medicaid coverage.
D) the range of benefits Medicaid provides has expanded.

Question 42

In 1997, the federal government began providing $24 billion in federal matching funds over a period of five years to the states to encourage

A) Children's Health Insurance Programs.
B) Medicaid reform.
C) disaster relief funds.
D) private health insurance plans.

Question 43

Which of the following is the main reason for half of all personal bankruptcies?

A) Low wages
B) Inflation
C) Immigration
D) Medical bills

Question 44

Which of the following groups accounts for most of the uninsured in America?

A) Elderly
B) African Americans
C) Low income workers
D) Hispanics

Question 45

Discuss the arguments for and against raising the federal minimum wage. Are there any differences in the minimum wage across the states? If so, what are the differences and what are the reasons for  them?

Question 46

Which of the following is NOT true regarding Medicaid?

A) Medicaid covers approximately one-fifth of the county's population.
B) Medicaid is means-tested with eligibility determined by whether an individual falls below a floor set by the federal government.
C) Medicaid costs federal and state governments more than $300 billion a year to operate.
D) Funding for Medicaid is largely supplied by the federal government, with states picking up less than 10 percent of the tab.

Question 47

Who are America's poor? Are there any differences across the states when it comes to poverty? Compare the public policies that your state offers its disadvantaged residents with those of a neighboring state. How are they similar? How are they different?

Question 48

How is the provision of health care delivered in the United States? What are some of the differences across the states with respect to providing health care to the most disadvantaged populations? Do any programs seem particularly successful? Finally, how might "ObamaCare" affect the states?

Question 49

Discuss the effect of the New Deal on America's welfare system. Are there any programs from the New Deal era that still impact America's welfare system today? If so, how have they changed over time?

Question 50

Analyze the impact of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). From the standpoint of federalism, discuss the says that it has or has not shifted the responsibly of providing welfare assistance to the poor. What have been some of the major changes in welfare reform since the mid-1990s?

Question 51

The 2011 legislation in Congress, which among other things would have abolished Medicaid, reconstituting it as a federal block grant program that would give the states greater discretion over the use of federal funds, is known as

A) The Pelosi Plan.
B) The Ryan Plan.
C) The Gingrich Legacy.
D) ObamaCare.

Question 52

As is the case with other states reforming Medicaid, Florida's 2011 legislation intended to reduce the number of seniors living in nursing homes

A) must be granted a waiver from the federal Department of Health and Human Services.
B) has come under attack for undermining the rights of the elderly.
C) is financially untenable for the state.
D) has been labeled the latest example of democratic socialism.

Question 53

Government health care programs, either state or federal, are

A) usually means tested.
B) the main reason for illegal immigration into America.
C) virtually non-existent in the United States.
D) generally not available for poor people with life-threatening medical emergencies.

Question 54

What is the largest public health program in the United States?

A) Medicare
B) Temporary Aid to Needy Families
C) Medicaid
D) Aid to Families with Dependent Children

Question 55

Which of the following social insurance program, signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson, is wholly administered by the federal government?

A) Medicaid
B) Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
C) Medicare
D) Aid to Families with Dependent Children