Welfare (Research Paper Sample)

WelfareStudent’s Name Course Name and Number Instructor’s Name Date Submitted
Welfare
In every society, the government has an obligation to improve the lifestyle and health needs of its citizens. The government through different entities ensures that they enact laws and policies that facilitate the allocation of resources which lead to improved living conditions. The public policy enacts laws. Public policy deals with the formulation, regulation and implementation of system laws and focuses on funding and allocation of resources for specific priorities and concerns in the society (Howard, 2007). The public representatives and the government promulgate the actions and plans of the policy.
People from different walks of life, either as groups or individuals, often make attempts to contribute to the development of the public policies. Depending on the form of leadership, the policy-making process integrates the input of the public or allows the government to dictate the policy through funds allocation. The procedure is different in United States and Europe. Interested groups and parties come together with the attempt of developing a workable structure that will improve the lives of the society as a whole. However, the process is often hijacked by competing interests from other groups and in favor of the policy makers (Powell & Hendricks, 2009).
One major aspect of any welfare policy is the law. The law stipulates how a society should integrate and outlines the obligations of the society to itself. Further, the law states and defines the obligations that the government has to its citizens. For example, the law states how a rape victim should be handled or a child that is suffering physical abuse from his or her guardians. Some of the laws are not unique to one specific country, and the jurisdiction of the laws of humanity or human rights are universal. The government through the legislation is required to provide and allocate funds in its annual budget towards the priorities outlined in the public policy. Due to multiple interests the process of allocation of the funds is often halted or met with hostility as a result of conflict of interests by the public, government and the political arena.
Dissemination of the Public Policy
The public policy requires the input of the society as a whole, although, not every individual can have a say or be included in the process for obvious reasons. In order to attempt to include the majority of the society, there has been the development of small groups. The small groups consist of members who shares common interests and needs that represents the views, opinions, needs and interest of the represented groups (Powell & Hendricks, 2009).
Creating awareness of the policy is essential as the public needs to know their rights. The dissemination of the details of the public policy is not an easy task and many hurdles meet the process. A considerable majority of the American population do not have the educational background that will help them understand the policies on their own. Through advocacy and lobbying, the society is informed and educated on the policy details. Some of the motivating factors affect the outcome of the lobbying process negatively or positively. In some cases, the public is required to vote for or against a given public policy through a referendum. More often than not, the needs of the society are clouded by personal interests of big cooperation’s and politicians. The public may be swayed to voting for or against a policy without knowing the intricate contents of the document (Massaro, 2007).
History
The great depression that occurred in the year 1935 led to the establishment of the welfare public policy. The Congress came together to enact ADC (Aid to dependent children); the program was focused on assisting orphans, widows and deserted children and their mothers. The project was successful and by the year 1939, the project was assisting more than 700,000 women and children. Despite this figure, a huge number of up to two-thirds of the eligible candidates did not benefit. The deficit was a clear indication that there was a great need in the society and more resources needed to be allocated towards the project (Fischer & Miller, 2006).
After some decades of working with this policy, the program grew and was able to cater for the rising number of needs the society was encountering. The climax was in the year 1992 when Bill Clinton campaigned and promised to revolutionize the welfare. In the wake of 1994 through the Congress of the Republican majority, he was elected as President with a mission of achieving this particular goal. On the 22nd day of August 1996, Bill Clinton ended welfare entitlement by signing the “personality and work opportunity Act”. The act was to ensure that 16.5 billion dollars were granted annually by the United States government towards assisting the needy in the society (Massaro, 2007).
Obama Health Care Public Policy
The United States administration headed by President Barack Obama developed a healthcare public policy commonly known as Obama Care by American citizens. Officially, the policy is referred to as PPACA or ACA for “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act” and “Affordable Care Act” respectively. The PPACA was signed into law on the 23rd March, 2010. The law was further upheld by the Supreme Court on the 28th June, 2012 after a landmark ruling. The ruling that changed the law by allowing for provisions of different states to have the option to eliminate the expansion of Medicare access. The ruling also included the changing of the individual mandate to be taxed (Obamacarefacts.com).
The majority of the American citizens cannot afford health insurance due to their low-income range. The law ensures that the less fortunate American citizens can access affordable healthcare services and targets more than ten million uninsured American citizens. The policy involves enacting major reforms in the health sector for the good of all American citizens in regards to their health. The policy affects both the health industry and the health care system of the American population. The policy, though bulky, explains to details the provisions and rights of the American citizens in the healthcare system ( Howell, 2014). In addition, the law requires every American citizen to have acquired health insurance by the end of the year 2014 with an option of paying a monthly fee that excludes essential coverage. Therefore, the American government and its citizens share the responsibility.
The whole concepts behind the Obama Care policy require a clear understanding. Despite the requirement of insurance for all citizens, it does not change how one acquires the insurance. Thus, private and employee insurance policies remain unchanged. Citizens can also purchase health insurance policies from the government as they previously did to obtain Medicare. According to Obamacarefacts.com (n.d), the difference occurs in the process of purchasing the insurance policies. American citizens now have the option of purchasing their insurance policies in marketplaces operated by the state health insurance agencies. The Americans can receive advice and comparisons of the benefits of the insurance plan in a manner they understand and can relate to unlike in the past. The marketplaces do not only function as purchase points, but also as sensitization centers that educate the society.
On an individual mandate, the ACA requires the citizens to purchase private health care policies and get an exemption in their annual tax. Failure to do so, the citizens will be required to pay a penalty to be attached to their annual taxes. However, the American citizens that are unable to afford to buy health insurance will either qualify for Medicaid, Medicare or CHIP. There is a provision for health assistance through tax credit or assistance won-costs by AKA (state health insurance exchanges) in the marketplaces if one does not qualify in the three plans (Obamacarefacts.com).
Policy Problems
The Obama Care, like any other welfare policy plan, has been flawed by many people, organizations and politicians in its concept and execution strategy. One major component of the policy plan involves the online strategy. The online part directly affects thousands of insurance brokers who are, middlemen, assisting the American population to sign up for health policies. The younger population which is, in fact, a considerable majority has termed the system as “clunky “and that they feel “thwarted by the process”. Despite its technological prowess, the America site for online registration and application is not user-friendly and make the process tedious and stressful (Howell, 2014).
Secondly, there are many citizens who fail to understand the information in the online portal. It creates a loophole where many of them cannot give credible information required. When an applicant does not answer the application form correctly, the information harms them in the future, and the government ends up with unreliable data. A survey conducted by indicated that about 33% of online applicants did not provide dependable information. Therefore, there is a higher possibility that most patients will suffer much in terms of offsetting their financial burden due to these errors (Howell, 2014).
Another issue being debated on is concerning the security of the data on the sites. The private sector brokers claim that they have been efficient in the running of online markets for health over the years. They played a major role in the enrollment process of millions of young Americans. Despite this fact, they still hope that the government can incorporate them further into the plan to ensure they law works as expected. Since the private sector has more res...