Social Security and Public Assistance differences According to “Segal (2015) The indigenous social insurance provisions were a federal system of old-age benefits for retired workers and a federal- state partnership for unemployment insurance. The system of old-age benefits was called the Old- Age Insurance program. It contributes benefits for retired workers who had paid taxes into the system while employed in industry and commerce. The program was to begin collecting taxes in 1937 and pay out benefits to retired workers starting in 1942. Before full enactment of the law, it was expanded in 1939 to cover workers’ survivors and dependents. Survivors’ provisions meant that if a worker died, dependent would continue to receive benefits. Benefits became payable in 1942, as originally planned.”
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To know the importance of social insurance as a social welfare approach, it is informative to highlight some of the differences between it and public assistance. As stated previously, the public assistance provisions were considered necessary but temporary, and were not at all favored by those charged with administering the program. The sturdy belief in individual responsibility and the value of work made the social insurance program preferable to public assistance. Public assistance was not seen as reinforcing the American work ethic and was therefore viewed from a negative perspective. These negative beliefs were present at the inception of the program and continue today. Social insurance, on the other hand, was built on employment and individual effort, with a shared overall commitment. The contrast between the two approaches has made Social Security a publicly supported program and public assistance a program plagued by public
To know the importance of social insurance as a social welfare approach, it is informative to highlight some of the differences between it and public assistance. As stated previously, the public assistance provisions were considered necessary but temporary, and were not at all favored by those charged with administering the program. The sturdy belief in individual responsibility and the value of work made the social insurance program preferable to public assistance. Public assistance was not seen as reinforcing the American work ethic and was therefore viewed from a negative perspective. These negative beliefs were present at the inception of the program and continue today. Social insurance, on the other hand, was built on employment and individual effort, with a shared overall commitment. The contrast between the two approaches has made Social Security a publicly supported program and public assistance a program plagued by public