Social Policy Final Review

Weighted Index of Social Progress

among the most complex measure of social welfare, it examines 40 variables across 10 subsets of social health

single payer system

centralized system of healthcare payment in which government assumes the cost but not the delivery of health services

means tested social welfare

concept in which income and assets are evaluated to determine whether or not an individual or household meets the criteria necessary for receiving government cash transfers or in-kind services; ex: TANF, SNAP, WIC, FAFSA, Medicaid, CHIP

institutional social welfare

concept of welfare that government social programs that assure citizens of their basic needs are essential to an advanced economy; such programs are considered a right of citizenship; ex: entitlements

residual social welfare

conception of social welfare holding that family and market are individual's primary sources of assistance, but that government "safety net" programs may provide temporary assistance; ex: those not eligible for means tested social welfare

entitlements

government programs whose benefits certain groups are entitled to receive, based on their abilities to meet established criteria; these programs have open-ended resources in that people cannot be denied benefits because of government resource restraints

corporate sector

large for-profit human service corporations

Indian Child Welfare Act

legislation that restored child placement decisions to Indian tribes; this was instituted so that they will not lose their heritage and culture

Human Development Index

measure of social welfare of a country including life expectancy, literacy and school rates, and income distribution

Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs)

membership organizations that typically provide comprehensive healthcare

diagnostic related groups

method of payment in which the medical provider is paid a fixed amount for each person regardless of the actual number of patients served or services rendered

Gini coefficient

most simplistic measure of the social welfare of a country, it examines the distribution of income across a country

in-kind benefits

non-cash goods or services provided by the government that function as a proxy for cash; ex: Section 8 housing vouchers, food stamps

PRWORA

passed in 1996, this act limited benefits to both legal and illegal immigrants, changed the qualifications for SSI, and established the precedent that government no longer had the responsibility for maintaining the poor indefinitely

fee for service

payment method based on payment for services rendered

capitation

payment method that establishes rates, prices, or budgets before the medical services are rendered and costs incurred

voluntary sector

private nonprofit agencies, uses volunteers; ex: Red Cross, United Way

emergency assistance programs

program that operated under AFDC and was intended to provide short-term cash assistance for families in crisis

public transfer programs

programs such as TANF, SSI, and Social Security that transfer money from government sector to families or individual who are either entitled to it or earned it

prospective payment system

prospective form of payment for Medicare-related medical expenses

standardization

reduction of services to common denominator in order to lower provider costs

Job Opportunity and Basic Skills Act

required a portion of a state's welfare caseload to participate in a work or training program

governmental sector

social programs administered by the government, especially the federal government; ex: TANF

income maintenance programs

social welfare programs designed to contribute to or supplement the income of an individual or family

general assistance programs

state or locally run programs designed to provide basic benefits to low-income people who are ineligible for federally funded public assistance programs; ex: ineligible for means tested social welfare

circuit breaker programs

tax rebate programs designed to relieve the low-income, elderly, or disabled homeowner or renter from the burden of property or utility taxes

Temporary Aid to Needy Families

this act was a replacement for AFDC and is based on a time-limited, workfare oriented approach to welfare

managed care

umbrella term for organization of networks of healthcare providers into system that is cost-effective

electronic benefit transfer

use of technology to deposit public assistance benefits directly to the participant such as into the savings account of an individual or debit card used for food stamps