Welfare Reform Act the Word

Welfare Reform Act

The word "welfare" refers to the action through which the government of a particular state assists its residents with financial resources. Welfare programs appear to be beneficial for the masses with people in need of assistance being supported through them. However, studies have shown that those that receive help are more likely to suffer than to benefit from the exploit (Rector). As a result, the strong opposition against welfare programs began to take shape with the enactment of the Welfare Reform Act.

The Welfare programs had been proved to be inefficient due to the fact that most people that received assistance would later turn to depend on the government. Children from families that receive financial support from the government tend to become affected in terms of their performance. As they discover that the government is able to help their families without wanting any repayment, children are predisposed to also expect financial support as they become adults. The children involved in welfare programs generally come from single parent families, and the number of such cases has become alarmingly large in the U.S.

The initial welfare programs had been intended to stop one of the main problems of society: poverty. Governments believed that if they would provide help to the families with low earnings, society would evolve. People considered that social problems would disappear with the number of poor people decreasing. Conversely, matters seem to have gotten worse as time passed and social problems have reached alarming levels. One can easily comprehend that poverty is not necessarily responsible for the level of social problems within a state. The real factors that lead to social problems are the environment in which one is raised, the education that one receives and the character that he or she has.

By the end of the 20th century more and more people began to condemn welfare programs everywhere. Matter became even more tensed in 1994 as the Republicans had experienced several victories in the Congress. In order to increase the chances of getting re-elected, President Clinton had accepted to submit the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program.

The Welfare Reform Act has been passed in 1996 and President Clinton has signed the bill on August 22, 1996. The act had put an end to AFDC and had changed the way that welfare would be provided. The reform would accept the providing of welfare for a limited amount of time only. The recipients would have to pass a series of test in order to receive financial support. The Welfare Reform Act had also put a stop to single parents that took advantage of welfare programs.

Several institutions had been affected consequent to the Welfare Reform Act. The U.S. health program, Medicaid, has been created in order for families with a lower income to receive medical assistance. After the enactment of the Welfare Reform Act, several people that earlier enjoyed the services of Medicaid could no longer do so.

The Welfare Reform Act had replaced the AFDC program with the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program (TANF). Preceding the TANF program, the AFDC and Medicaid had been in a close connection, with every person benefiting from the AFDC also benefiting from Medicaid assistance.

Leighton Ku,

Teresa a. Coughlin)

Even with the fact that the TANF program and Medicaid are not connected, efforts had been made in order to keep the families involved in the former AFDC program assisted by Medicaid.

Medicaid is now only meant for the families that earn less than a standard income considered enough to support their medical needs. However, Medicaid has issued a provision named transitional medical assistance (TMA). The TMA states that those benefiting from Medicaid can still receive privileged medical assistance for approximately 12 months after having begun to earn a decent income.