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| Chapter 17: Social Policy |
| You Decide |
Social Policy: Medicaid, Welfare, and Poverty
This exercise examines our social policies on Medicaid and Social Security. A Now with Bill Moyers video segment discusses the effect of cuts on Medicaid and a news article discusses the rationale behind our social security system. Is Social Security a system worth saving? Watch the discussion of Medicaid cuts on NOW’s July 16th episode www.pbs.org/now/thisweek/index_071604.html#video and click on the Web site episode named “Medicare Mess in Florida” to watch the clip. (Note: “Medicare” is in the title but it actually discusses Medicaid). |
| 1. Explain why Governor Barbour decided to cut Medicaid benefits. |
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| 2. Do you agree that these cuts are necessary? |
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| 3. What should be the responsibility of the government to the sickest and poorest Americans? |
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| 4. Do you have any suggestions for how the government could save money so that Medicaid benefits are not cut? Explain. |
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5. Read this article in the Christian Science Monitor on poverty: www.csmonitor.com/2004/0109/p01s02-ussc.html
How effective have government programs such as Social Security and Medicare been in reducing poverty for the elderly?
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| 6. How effective has the government been in reducing childhood poverty? |
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| 7. The goal of welfare reform was NOT to reduce poverty but to reduce caseloads. Should reducing poverty be a goal of the government? |
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