"Welfare politics" have now been part of American life for four centuries. Beyond a persistent general idea that Americans have a collective obligation to provide for the poorest among us, there has been little common ground on which to forge political and philosophical consensus. Are poor people poor because of their own shortcomings and moral failings, or because of systemic societal and econonomic obstacles? That is, does poverty have individual or structural causes? This book demonstrates why neither of these two polemical stances has been able to prevail permanently over the other and explores the public policy--and real-life--consequences of the stalemate. Author Greg M. Shaw pays special attention to the outcome of the 1996 act that was heralded as "ending welfare as we know it." Historically, people on all sides of the welfare issue have hated welfare--but for different reasons. Like our forebears, we have constantly disagreed about where to strike the balance between meeting the basic needs of the very poor and "creating dependency," or undermining individual initiative. The shift in 1996 from New Deal welfare entitlement to "workfare" mirrored the national mood and ascendant political ideology, as had welfare policy throughout American history. The special contribution of this book is to show how evolving understandings of four key issues--markets, motherhood, race, and federalism--have shaped public perceptions in this contentious debate. A rich historical narrative is here complemented by a sophisticated analytical understanding of the forces at work behind attempts to solve the welfare dilemma. Chapters cover: BLThe Early American Roots of Welfare BLControlling the Poor in19th-Century America BLFrom Mothers' Pensions to a Troubled Aid to Dependent Children Program BLThe Rise and Fall of the Great Society BLThe 1970s and 1980s: Backlash and an Emerging Conservative Consensus BLThe End of Welfare Entitlement BLA New World of Welfare How should we evaluate the current "welfare-to-work" model? Is a precipitous decline in state welfare caseloads sufficient evidence of success? Success, this book finds, has many measures, and ending welfare as an entitlement program has not ended arguments about how best to protect children from the ravages of poverty or how to address the plight of the most vulnerable among us. Series features: BLTimeline anchoring the discussion in time and place BLBibliography of print and Internet resources guiding further exploration of the subject BLCharts and tables analyzing complex data, including survey results

With the debate over health care consuming the nation, this timely book looks at the evolution of healthcare policy in the United States throughout its history. Concise, authoritative, and unbiased, The Healthcare Debate provides meaningful context for thinking about one of the most controversial public policy issues the United States faces. It traces the evolution of the argument over the government's role in healthcare financing and delivery since the early 1800s, with an emphasis on the major reform efforts since the mid-20th century. Following the complex dynamics of public health policy across U.S. history, The Healthcare Debate brings together a wide range of voices on the subject—presidents, policymakers, reformers, lobbyists, and everyday citizens. Each of its eight chronologically organized chapters focuses on the battle over government involvement in healthcare in a specific era, drawing on historic documents and the latest retrospective research. With President Obama making healthcare reform his top domestic priority in his first year in office, this remarkable new book could not be more timely.

While analyzing the contentious debate over health care reform, this much-needed study also challenges the argument that treating medical patients like shoppers can significantly reduce health expenditures. This revealing work focuses on the politics surrounding the Affordable Care Act (ACA), explaining how and why supporters and opponents have approached the issue as they have since the act's passage in 2010. The first book to systematically examine public knowledge of the ACA across time, it also documents how that knowledge has remained essentially static since 2010, despite the importance of health-policy reform to every American. An important book for anyone concerned about the skyrocketing costs of health care in the United States, the work accomplishes three main tasks intended to help readers better understand one of the most important policy challenges of our time. The early chapters explain why congressional Democrats designed the Affordable Care Act of 2010 as they did, clarifies some of the consequences of the act's features, and examines why Republicans have fought the implementation of the law so fiercely. The study then looks at how the intersection of economics and politics applies to the ACA. Finally, the book details what the public knows—and doesn't know—about the law and discusses the prospects for citizens gaining the knowledge they should have about the overall issue of health-policy reform.

Medicare and Medicaid: A Reference Handbook provides an in-depth discussion of these two large government health insurance programs. It additionally addresses such related issues as health care, government spending, and socialized medicine. Many Americans hold conflicting views on how to pay for health care. They fear that government involvement will either undermine the quality of care or cost taxpayers too much. However, over the past half-century, hundreds of millions of Americans have come to rely on government health insurance because they are elderly, low-income, or both. Medicare and Medicaid: A Reference Handbook provides high school and college readers with a one-stop resource on these two government insurance programs. A background and history of the topic are followed by a chapter on problems, controversies, and solutions. Perspectives and profiles speak to current program strengths, political concerns, and problems. There is a strong focus on current program challenges and opportunities. Moreover, most of the government documents referenced in a dedicated resources chapter are produced periodically, with updates accessible online, so the book should enjoy an enduring shelf-life. The volume closes with a glossary and bibliography.