Key Findings: Assistance provided through public programs: reduces the number of poor Americans by 27 million people, including 14 million elderly people and nearly 5 million children; reduces the severity of poverty for those who remain poor, by increasing their average disposable income from 29 percent to 57 percent of the poverty line; and reduces the ranks of the uninsured by tens of millions. Read more
Supplemental Security Income: SSI assists people who are aged (age 65 or over), disabled, or blind and who have very low incomes and very limited resources. In 2005, the SSI benefit for an individual who lives alone and has no other income is $579 a month, or 73 percent of the poverty line. Some states supplement the SSI benefit with an additional payment that brings beneficiaries closer to — or, in a small number of instances, just above — the poverty line. If an SSI beneficiary receives income from other sources or lives with other people, his or her SSI benefit may be reduced. In 2003, the average SSI benefit received by a person with a disability was about $433 a month. Close to 30 percent of all SSI recipients have no other income and receive the full SSI benefit. Another 35 percent have a small Social Security benefit and receive a modest SSI benefit to supplement that income. The SSI eligibility criteria are stringent. SSI’s definition of “disability” is the same as that used in Social Security. A person must have a physical or mental impairment that will last at least 12 months or is expected to result in death. In addition, the person must prove that he or she is not able to engage in any “substantial gainful activity” as a result of the impairment. The definition is stricter than definitions commonly used in private disability insurance. It also is stricter than definitions used in many public employee benefit systems for federal, state, or local employees. In addition, people with countable assets of more than $2,000 for an individual and $3,000 for a couple are ineligible for SSI. Read more
KEY FINDINGS South Carolina’s proposal to replace its Medicaid program with a system of private accounts would reduce health coverage for vulnerable state residents and raise their out-of-pocket health care costs significantly. The funds provided by the state for health care would be particularly inadequate for people with above-average health care needs, such as those with disabilities, chronic diseases, or other serious illnesses. The proposal rests on key untested assumptions, such as the belief that a system of managed care plans and provider networks will rapidly emerge in the state to serve Medicaid beneficiaries. Read more
Summarized below are some of the most important research findings on the accomplishments of government programs that assist low-income families and individuals. For more information, ... Read more
Public benefit programs cut the number of poor Americans nearly in half (from 58 million to 31 million) and dramatically reduce the severity of poverty ... Read more
Congress and the newly appointed HHS Medicaid Commission are considering changes to reduce federal Medicaid expenditures. Recent recommendations from the National Governors Association would eliminate ... Read more
On Friday, July 8, HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt named the members of his new Medicaid Commission, which is designed both to make recommendations by September ... Read more
On June 15, the National Governors Association released preliminary policy recommendations on Medicaid reform. Among other things, the NGA recommended a substantial restructuring of current ... Read more
Recent policy discussions concerning ways to change Medicaid often include the idea of letting states increase the amounts that low-income beneficiaries are charged in the ... Read more
Today, the National Governors’ Association outlined NGA’s preliminary recommendations for Medicaid. Several of the NGA proposals are promising. Others are troubling and likely would be ... Read more
