Deck 4: The Social Security Act

Question 1

Which of the following alternatives for restoring the solvency of OASI was NOT proposed in the 2010 report by the Senate Committee on Aging?

A)Increasing payroll taxes
B)Eliminating the wage cap on the FICA tax
C)Raising the retirement age
D)Privatizing the program

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Funding for Social Security Retirement Benefits comes from

A)the general fund.
B)the payroll tax.
C)the income tax.
D)sales tax.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Social Security programs in Europe served a "state-building" function by

A)converting wages into a property interest in government.
B)creating the need for administrative structures and personnel.
C)making workers more loyal to the government.
D)all of these.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Funding for the states' contributions to unemployment insurance comes from

A)the Social Security payroll tax.
B)fees charged for business licenses.
C)a state tax on company payrolls.
D)each state's general fund.

Question 5

In Social Security policy debates, the term "privatization" refers to

A)investing Social Security funds in the private capital market.
B)allowing individuals to decide whether or not they will participate in the program.
C)selecting private investors to manage the investment of reserves in the Social Security trust funds.
D)requiring individuals to maintain private retirement savings accounts

Question 6

Under Federal law, the TANF program has a lifetime limit of

A)3 years of assistance.
B)18 months of assistance.
C)5 years of assistance.
D)10 years of assistance.

Question 7

Townsend Clubs were established to

A)promote the use of taxes to provide guaranteed income in old age.
B)encourage passage of health insurance for the elderly.
C)support Roosevelt's proposal for social security.
D)raise public awareness of the needs of the elderly.

Question 8

The 1996 passage of PRWORA

A)abolished Aid to Families of Dependent Children (AFDC).
B)restricted immigrants' eligibility for Supplemental Security Income (SSI).
C)established Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF).
D)all of these.

Question 9

During Roosevelt's second term as president

A)the Social Security Act was not changed.
B)Social Security taxes were raised.
C)Social Security benefits were extended to dependents andsurvivors.
D)farm workers were added to the Social Security Program.

Question 10

Europe's first Social Security program was established in

A)England.
B)France.
C)Germany.
D)Russia.

Question 11

Prior to passage of the Social Security Act, U.S. workers

A)had no way to provide for their retirement.
B)could rely on their savings in retirement.
C)could purchase disability and medical insurance from private companies.
D)could both rely on their savings in retirement and purchasedisability and medical insurance from private companies.

Question 12

Under "earnings sharing"

A)a woman and her husband would receive equal credit for earnings from any source.
B)a widow would receive credit for earnings of her husband prior to the marriage.
C)a surviving child would receive credit for earnings of both parents.
D)all of these.

Question 13

A woman who earns substantially less than her husband is better off claiming benefits as his dependent than on the basis of her own salary history. This violates the principle of

A)adequacy.
B)equity.
C)distributive justice.
D)none of these.

Question 14

During the Great Recession of 2008, unemployment insurance trust funds

A)were robust enough to endure extensions of unemployment benefits.
B)required that money be drawn down from general revenues to avoid depletion.
C)were used to lower high unemployment rates.
D)none of these.

Question 15

In the context of the Social Security program, the term "equity" means

A)providing a fair return for workers' investments in the program.
B)ensuring that low-income seniors have sufficient retirement income.
C)ensuring that benefits are managed efficiently.
D)all of these.

Question 16

When HIV/AIDS initially was diagnosed in the United States, most people believed they would never be affected or afflicted by the disease. Which of de Swaan's conditions is NOT met under these circumstances?

A)"External effects" are not recognized.
B)"Individual remedies" are effective.
C)Adversity must have "uncertainty of moment and magnitude."
D)None of the above.

Question 17

What did the originally formulated U.S. Social Security Act NOT include?

A)Survivor's insurance
B)Medical insurance
C)Disability coverage
D)All of these

Question 18

In 1964, opposition to Medicare came from

A)business interests.
B)physicians.
C)labor unions.
D)both business interests and physicians.

Question 19

Disability insurance is financed through

A)general revenues.
B)the Social Security payroll tax.
C)a state tax on company payrolls.
D)state general revenues.

Question 20

Under current law, individuals who are disabled by virtue of alcohol addiction

A)may receive Social Security disability benefits through a representative payee.
B)must be in treatment in order to receive Social Security Disability benefits.
C)may not receive Social Security disability benefits.
D)may receive Social Security disability benefits through a representative payee and must be in treatment in order to receive Social Security Disability benefits.

Question 21

Upon the deaths of their retired spouses, most widows experience a one-third drop in household income from Social Security.

Question 22

List three means-tested programs that are authorized by the Social Security Act.

Question 23

Discuss the effect of the Great Depression on the view that poverty was a problem of personal irresponsibility and what the result of this was, in terms of de Swanns's conditions for collective action.

Question 24

What are some of the reasons and outcomes for the conversion from AFDC to TANF?

Question 25

All workers who pay Social Security taxes are eligible for unemployment insurance benefits.

Question 26

In the U.S., debates about establishing a national health insurance program began with the passage of the 1935 Social Security Act.

Question 27

Why do you think Donald Chambers encouraged policy analysts to think about who benefits from a social problem?

Question 28

Income tax rates in the United States are the highest among developed nations.

Question 29

Describe the four amendments made in the Social Security program in 1983 upon recommendations from the 1981 National Commission on Social Security Reform.

Question 30

The Medicaid program is administered by the Social Security Administration.