Welfare Reform Act Research Paper

The Welfare Reform Act What is Medicaid? Medicaid is joint-state health insurance program that is coverage for the low-income families, senior citizens, and people with disabilities. (Leighton, Coughlin) 2010 On August 22, 1996 the Welfare Reform Act, and is officially called the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 was fulfilled and signed by President William Clinton. (http://www.faqs.org/childhood/Th-W/Welfare-Reform-Act-1996.html) This was used to replace the federal program of Aid to Dependent Children (ADC), founded in 1935, that was part of the Social Security Act, and is now known as Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC). (http://www.faqs.org/childhood/Th-W/Welfare-Reform-Act-1996.html)
In the year of 1995, there were 41 million people that were insured by Medicaid at the cost of $151 billion dollars.
(Leighton, Coughlin) 2010 There were four principle changes made to Medicaid eligibility and were changed by the Welfare Reform Legislation. (Leighton, Coughlin) 2010 These changes were the decoupling of welfare and the Medicaid eligibility; making eligibility for disabled children in the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program; terminating the access of Medicaid for some legal immigrants because they lose the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and from future immigrants, they are not eligible for Medicaid. (Leighton, Coughlin) 2010 The immigrants that have legally entered into the United States, after August 1996, will no longer qualify for Medicaid, but they are allowed to have Medicaid for emergency care and use, but only for the first five years that they have lived in the United States. (Leighton, Coughlin)
2010 There is a new federal block blocks to the states, and this is the center of the welfare reform law that is the replacement of Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) by Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). Those who were eligible for Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) and for Medicaid; these people what received an Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) check were automatically entitles to Medicaid. The implications for beneficiaries vary.
(Leighton, Coughlin) 2010 The eligibility changes that are affecting children and immigrants on the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program, and will be affecting the TANF, which means that the many people will lose their Medicaid coverage. (Leighton, Coughlin) 2010 There has been studies that have indicated that those people who have lost Medicaid coverage and have failed to gain private insurance have become uninsured. (Leighton, Coughlin)2010 With the loss of health insurance, this will reduce that access for people have medical care and this can impair the health status even more. (Leighton, Coughlin)2010 In despite, these people have low income the uninsured will have to make a decision to pay for their medical care and pay for other basic needs that they need to live on. (Leighton, Coughlin) 2010 The beneficiaries are finding it harder to get onto Medicaid, due to the changes in the administrative procedures. (Leighton, Coughlin)2010 For an example, the disabled children that have lost Supplemental Security Income (SSI), are able to qualify for Medicaid, may have to go to a different office and complete a new set of application forms. (Leighton, Coughlin)
2010 There is good news about the Welfare Reform Act; these are important issues that have been partially resolved. (Rector, Fagan, Ph.D.)2010 It is a fact that the poverty rate for black childrenis at the lowest in the United States history. (Rector, Fagan, Ph.D.)2010 There are 1.2 million fewer black children in poverty than there was in the 1990’s. (Rector, Fagan, Ph.D.)2010 The hunger has been cut in half for children and they are 420,000 fewer hungry children that there was when the welfare reform was enacted. (Rector, Fagan, Ph.D.)2010 The welfare and caseloads have been cut in half, and the employment of disadvantaged mothers has increased from 50 percent to 100 percent. (Rector, Fagan, Ph.D.)2010 The out-of-wedlock childbearing has come to a virtual halt, the care of children living in the single-parent homes has fallen, and the share of living-in married couples family life has increased. (Rector, Fagan, Ph.D.)2010 Even though these show as positive effects, we have to remember that there was a strong economy in the late 1990’s, but it is makes more of a difference with welfare reform.