Deck 17: Social Welfare and Health Care Policy: Addressing Poverty and Sickness

Question 1

Social insurance includes all of the following except

A)Medicaid.
B)Social Security.
C)Medicare.
D)unemployment compensation.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

State levels of social welfare spending

A)are the same because the national government sets all the reimbursement standards.
B)vary dramatically, some states pay more than others under one program and less under others based on the needs and priorities in each state.
C)are falling steadily due to a declining birth rate.
D)are sustained only because the federal government provides 85 percent of the costs.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Medicaid costs consume an average of about __________ percent of state budgets.

A)24
B)37
C)7
D)18

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Use of the term single payer in regard to health care means that

A)individuals can obtain health care coverage wherever they live or work.
B)a government agency administers a health care system financed by taxes.
C)individuals pay for their own coverage without government assistance.
D)HMOs pick up the costs of all health care.

Question 5

In general, which type of state is the most likely to spend the LEAST on social welfare policy?

A)A state controlled by the Republican Party, with weak party competition and a dominant liberal ideology
B)A state controlled by the Republican Party, with weak party competition and a dominant conservative ideology
C)A state controlled by the Democratic Party, with strong party competition and a dominant conservative ideology
D)A state controlled by the Democratic Party, with strong party competition and a dominant liberal ideology

Question 6

In-kind programs are

A)special welfare programs that were recommended by President Bush in the early 1990s to bring about a "kinder and gentler" nation; they are funded by a special government trust fund.
B)the payment of noncash benefits such as government food stamps, Medicaid, and housing to those eligible.
C)available in only a limited number of states that have created the necessary administrative framework.
D)categories of social welfare that provide help in the form of government checks.

Question 7

During the Great Depression, the basic foundation of the welfare system was laid by liberal Democrats as it became clear that

A)private charity and state and local relief programs were completely inadequate for combating the collapsed national economy.
B)international aid was being used to bolster the high unemployment rate of 25 percent.
C)states were able to deal with the economic collapse, but the administration was determined to push national power at all costs.
D)Americans were unconcerned about the economic situation at the time.

Question 8

Public assistance programs today primarily include

A)direct cash transfers.
B)in-kind benefits.
C)social insurance.
D)All of the above are true.

Question 9

The program that provides health care for the poor is

A)Medicare.
B)Medicaid.
C)food stamps.
D)Head Start.

Question 10

Welfare programs in the United States today are

A)diminishing quickly in importance because Congress no longer funds any major programs except Aid to Families with Dependent Children.
B)equally as generous as those found in Western Europe.
C)more uniform and more generous than those found in Western Europe.
D)less uniform and less generous than those found in Western Europe.

Question 11

Social Security (officially known as Old Age, Survivors, Disability, and Health Insurance)is

A)the main source of money that pays for unemployment compensation.
B)was replaced by a private trust in 1997.
C)operated cooperatively by the federal government and the states.
D)operated entirely by the federal government.

Question 12

Today's conservatives generally believe in limited government help for the poor and attack the social welfare system because of an underlying belief that

A)the poor get what they deserve.
B)it undermines the work ethic.
C)it encourages immoral behavior.
D)All of these choices.

Question 13

Today, poverty in the United States is no longer viewed as associated with old age. Which of the following is not a reason for this shift in views from the 1930s?

A)Social Security benefits
B)Federal programs such as Medicare
C)The increase in expected lifespan in America
D)Aged-based preferences in local property and state income taxes

Question 14

The national government uses a statistic called the poverty threshold to

A)provide a qualitative explanation of circumstances that warrant provision of various forms of public assistance.
B)ensure all states provide equal amounts of AFDC to qualified single mothers.
C)adjust the quantitative definition of poverty in each individual state.
D)identify the point at which families or individuals qualify for various forms of public assistance.

Question 15

A check sent to an individual from the national government through the Aid to the Blind program is described as

A)an in-kind program.
B)a direct cash transfer.
C)A social insurance.
D)Medicaid.

Question 16

The S-CHIP program is

A)a new electronic health records program.
B)a children's health program funded by the federal government and states.
C)former president George W. Bush's primary health care initiative.
D)a children's health program funded by the federal government and states and  former president George W. Bush's primary health care initiative.

Question 17

States such as Massachusetts, New York and California, generally

A)spend more on public assistance than Mississippi, Louisiana, and Colorado.
B)spend less on public assistance than Mississippi, Louisiana, and Colorado.
C)spend about the same on public assistance than Mississippi, Louisiana and Colorado.
D)have variations in spending year over year such that comparisons are impossible.

Question 18

Social insurance programs, such as unemployment compensation, are generally defined as

A)jointly funded benefit programs made available by a government to its citizens as a right of its citizens.
B)a need-based program in which eligibility is determined one's household income.
C)programs that are solely funded by the federal government to offset local economic conditions.
D)in-kind programs.

Question 19

Today's liberals generally trust in a broad and active role for government assistance for the poor because of an underlying belief

A)that the poor are victims of structural defects in society, which are beyond their control.
B)in the wide up and down cycles in our capitalistic economy.
C)of inadequate school and poor parenting guidance.
D)All of these choices.

Question 20

Which of the following is an element of the 2012 Affordable Care Act (or Obamacare)?

A)Requiring citizens and residents to have health insurance
B)Creating state-based Health Benefit Exchanges.
C)Requiring employers to either provide health insurance or pay a penalty.
D)All of these choices.

Question 21

The federal government uses a statistic called the poverty threshold to define poverty. The national average poverty line in 2012 was $23,050 for a family of four and $11,170 for an individual.

Question 22

Congress abandoned AFDC in 1996 with passage of a new welfare reform act called the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act, which stipulates that adults have up to two years to find a job without losing benefits and a lifetime limit of five years to receive benefits. Recipients must also work a minimum of 20-30 hours per week.

Question 23

Social welfare programs developed later in the United States than in Western European nations and rely more on state-by-state and non-profit organizations to deliver services.

Question 24

Prior to the passage of the Affordable Care Act, the escalating health care problem had forced most states to

A)wait for the federal government to solve the problem now that the Democrats control the White House and control Congress by a wide margin.
B)initiate reforms, experiments, and innovations in health care in an effort to deal with their own unique circumstances.
C)look to interstate compacts by which health problems are to be attacked on a regional basis.
D)wait for the private sector to address the problem, thus reducing state and local taxes.

Question 25

The least healthy states tend to be located in the

A)Northwest.
B)Northeast.
C)South.
D)upper Midwest.

Question 26

State and local governents are allowing TANF and other programs to pay a part of day care expenses for welfare recipients who qualify.

Question 27

Of the following, which was  not  one of the lessons learned by early-implementing ACA-health-insurance-exchange states?

A)to extensively-beta-test the software and website
B)to forgo fancy bells and whistles for a simple, straightforward website
C)to make sure the state relies solely on government contractors to create and maintain the health care website.
D)to enable users to use and browse the website without first logging in and setting up an account with personal data.

Question 28

Medicaid is a health care system for America's seniors that spent more than $390 billion in 2011, which is about 22 percent of the average state budget.

Question 29

Poverty in the states varies greatly, from a high in New Mexico, where 21.4 percent of the state's population is categorized as officially poor; to New Hampshire, where 9.6 percent of the population is categorized as officially poor.

Question 30

The nation's fragmented social welfare policy is a reflection of shifting conservative and liberal control of Congress, the presidency, state houses, and the inherently controversial nature of redistributive policies that seek to take income from one population group to give to another.

Question 31

States and localities are important innovators in social welfare policy and the governments closest to the needs of the poor and disadvantaged.

Question 32

Supplemental Security Income (SSI)was created in 1974 by combining three existing programs: Old Age Assistance, Aid to the Blind, and Aid to the Disabled.

Question 33

Medicare is a health care program jointly funded by the national and state governments for the poor. Medicaid is a federal health care program for people over sixty-five.

Question 34

Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC)was included in the Social Security Act of 1935. Its original purpose was to provide financial aid to children whose fathers were deceased. By the 1990s, most of the payments were to single-parent families in which the father was alive but seldom involved in the child's life.

Question 35

Behavioral dependency means that poor people become dependent on government for their economic well-being by reason of their own choices.

Question 36

Children are not as vulnerable to being poor because of the divorce rate dropping from 90 percent to around 10 percent today.

Question 37

In 1996, President Clinton made good on his promise to "end welfare as we know it" by signing a law that eliminated the largest welfare program-Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC). This program was replaced with a new program called TANF.

Question 38

There are more than 45 million people, or about 14.5 percent, living officially below the poverty line in the United States in 2013.

Question 39

Which state's health care reform package served as a model for the Affordable Care Act (ACA)?

A)Tennessee
B)Maine
C)Massachusetts
D)California

Question 40

The healthiest states tend to be located in the

A)Upper Midwest
B)Southeast
C)North Central and Western states
D)South central states

Question 41

Many states have "work-first" strategies to welfare reform that stress immediate job searches.

Question 42

Teenagers are highly likely to produce at-risk children and cost taxpayers a great deal of money.

Question 43

Massachusetts tried a health care system that gave every citizen the right to free care.  It was promptly abandoned after one month due to exponential cost increases.

Question 44

The American health care system is a paradox in which the quality of health care technology is unequal among the industrialized nations, yet the health care system is dysfunctional for a significant percentage of the population and very expensive. Why does America spend so much on health care compared to other industrialized nations?

Question 45

In 2010 the federal government passed the Affordable Care Act (ACA), often referred to as Obamacare. What are the major provisions of this act? Discuss the states' roles in implementing the ACA and the political and financial factors that might affect such a role. Finally, discuss the basic premise of each element of the ACA and why (or why not)it will help deal with the health care crisis in the nation.

Question 46

Choose three state innovations in social welfare and discuss the underlying goals of each and their success (or failure). If you were a policy analyst for a state agency dealing with social welfare, would you advise in favor or adopting these policies?

Question 47

Name the three broad categories of welfare programs; explain how they differ from one another and identify and discuss one specific program within each of the three categories. Also discuss the ongoing conflicts in policies between liberals and conservatives in their philosophies toward welfare assistance.

Question 48

​ States now take three approaches to welfare reform: cut welfare funding altogether, work-first strategies, and education and training.

Question 49

The nation's total annual health care bill exceeds $3 trillion-or 18 percent of the economy-by far the highest in the world.

Question 50

States that spend a high amount per capita on health care also generally rank high on state health indicators.

Question 51

Privatizing state welfare programs has turned out to be exactly the divine intervention that its planners wanted, as recipients dropped to near-zero levels.

Question 52

Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare, is the 2010 congressional act that requires states to establish Health Benefits Exchanges and gives them the option of accepting a generous federal subsidy to expand state Medicaid rolls, among other provisions.

Question 53

​Public assistance today has two goals: to promote the well-being of families and end welfare dependency where possible.

Question 54

Bowman and Kearney talk in some detail about the "Ten Welfare Traps." Getting people off welfare permanently seems like it should not be that hard; yet, the problems are long-standing. What are some of the welfare traps, why do they exist, and how does one move out of the traps?

Question 55

Before the 1996 Welfare Reform Act and TANF, checks were handed over to AFDC recipients only in exchange for paycheck stubs that proved that welfare recipients had work.