Posted: February 21st, 2022

Social Policy essay

4

Assignment help – Discussion 1 300 words

Assignment help – Discuss the differences between social insurance and public assistance programs. Be specific. Give examples.

Reply 1 Mikayla 60 words

As mentioned in our textbook, “social insurance is a collectively funded program for workers and their dependents that provides economic resources at the conclusion of employment” (Segal, 2015, p. 248). The best example of social insurance in action is Social Security. Social Security encompasses most employed citizens in the United States making it social while being insurance thanks to the payments made by citizens through tax dedications with each paycheck. The payments are collectively merged together to provide benefits for all who pay into the social welfare program. No matter the citizens economic status, whether rich or poor, those who pay into the Social Security program will receive benefits.

Public assistance programs are quite different from social insurance programs for one key difference. Public assistance programs only provide assistance when an individual is in-need after meeting the programs requirements for the program’s help. Requirements, such as low income, expenses, and in need of certain resources. Rather than being granted social support after paying into a program, like Social Security and other social insurance programs, public assistance programs only provides support when individuals meet all of the criteria for assistance. Originally, public assistance programs were for older individuals living in poverty, people who were blind, and mothers and their children needing health or welfare assistance. However, the current public assistance programs now offer support for anyone meeting the criteria set by each public assistance program. These requirements can vary from state to state. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is a great example of public assistance programs because it helps supports families in need of providing food for their family; however, families must meet the criteria to receive benefits of SNAP.

Reply 2 krystal 60 words

“Social Insurance is a collectively-funded program for workers that provides financial protection against unemployment, old age, or disability, and provides economic resources at the conclusion of employment (248, Segal).” An example of social insurance is the popular Social Security Insurance a.k.a. SSI. Another example of social insurance is Unemployment Insurance(UI), and this program is “provided through federal-state partnerships that gives benefits to regularly employed members of the labor force who become involuntarily unemployed (253, Segal).” After The Great Depression Roosevelt put together with other legislatures what is known as The New Deal. This was a social movement toward changing the economy and helping society on every level. The Social Security Act was a permanent transformation of the social policy system, and paved a way for new beginnings on a society level. Social insurance literally gives people the security of what they need, and they have to work for it. Social insurance is also dependent on the individual and the work ethic.

Public assistance programs are negatively viewed by society. Public assistance are programs that help poor elderly persons, people who were blind, and mothers and children who needed health and welfare services (Segal 254).” There is controversy held around these programs because it is not viewed as getting people to work and helping stay there. These are good for an individual but does not pump into the economy with the help that is offered.

Assignment help – Discussion 2 300 words

Assignment help – Discuss at least two key social welfare policies that promote well-being and provide protection for older Americans. Why are these programs so crucial to this population? What changes should be made to improve them or make them more accessible? Defend your reasoning.

Reply 1 CATHY 60 words

Older Americans Act (OAA) and Adult Protective Services (APS) are examples of welfare policies that protect and promote the well-being of older Americans. A significant component of the OAA was the establishment of the Area Administration on Aging (AAA), which provided services to older adults at home, assisted transportation, and offered legal assistance (Segal, 2016). As a result, many benefits such as Meals-On-Wheels, exercise and fitness programs, and senior centers are being provided because of OAA. However, each area has its own AAA, so the planning and implementation of services are at the discretion of each agency. The goal of this act was to implement a governmental agency to coordinate all existing services and develop new ways to serve the elderly better. Adult Protective Services is a program that came from the OAA to protect older Americans. Each state creates its own system, usually through its human services departments (Segal, 2016). According to Segal (2016), APS responds to reports of abuse, neglect, or exploitation of adults.

The programs to protect older Americans are essential to society because “as the population of elderly persons continues to grow, the political power of senior citizens will also increase” (Segal, 2016). Therefore, it is the responsibility of the government to launch such programs for social stability and to respond to human needs since citizens pay taxes to the government.

A concern of the APS is that many cases of abuse, neglect, or exploitation of elders go unreported. Therefore, we must advocate for and strengthen the rights and benefits of aged persons who are physically or mentally disabled, isolated, have limited educational attainment, or are financially vulnerable and cannot protect themselves. In addition, most elder abuse offenders are friends or family members of the victim, making them less likely to be reported. Cases like these are difficult to assess. As the elderly population increases, the issue of maltreatment is expected to increase (Segal, 2016). Hopefully, federal regulations will become woven into social welfare policy in the future to ensure data collection and create more uniform protection for all.

Reply 2 GRADY 60 words

Two of the many social welfare services available to older Americans are Adult Protective Services and Medicare. Originally funded from money provided by the Social Security Act, Adult Protective Services is now completely run by each individual state with their own programs funded partially from federal funds. This service is crucial to older Americans as they are particularly susceptible to abuse and harassment. As the population gets older, many are dependent upon family members to shoulder the many caregiving tasks required to aid an aging population. As these caregiving tasks require an immense amount of time and effort, many of these family caregivers get frustrated and bitter towards the older individual that needs care, which can lead to abuse and neglect. APS then serves as “first responders to reports of abuse, neglect, and exploitation of adults” (Segal, 2016, p. 274). In spite of its importance, data regarding APS is hard to come by as it is organized differently by each state. The federal government doesn’t collect data and there isn’t a system of mandatory reporting on elder abuse and similar crimes on a national level. These issues need to be amended in order to make APS more responsive and effective at dealing with the growing problem of elder abuse and neglect.

One of the largest and most used social welfare service for older Americans is Medicare. Medicare is extremely important for this age bracket as health care costs have increased for all Americans in recent decades, and as individuals get older more health concerns occur, driving their costs up all the more. Along with increasing health care costs comes with earning less income as older Americans age out of being able to work. Thus, many older Americans are completely dependent on government aid to survive. This can be seen as “two-thirds of older Americans receive at least 50 percent of their income from Social Security and… one-third of the seniors in this country” have more than 90 percent of their total annual income coming entirely from Social Security payments. (Segal, 2016, p. 276). Thus, programs like Medicare that cover health care costs for older Americans are crucial to their living comfortably and without financial stress. Medicare is funded similarly to Social Security in that part of employees and employers pay a tax that funds it. This then allows Medicare to cover the costs of routine and specialized procedures along with the prescription drugs for older Americans. As a social insurance program Medicare is fairly comprehensive, but changes should be made to make it available to all older Americans, not just those that contributed through their previous employment.

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