Covering such critically important laws as the Homestead Act of 1862, the Social Security Act of 1935, Medicare and Medicaid, the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act, and many others, this resource is perfect for students looking for a thorough and understandable examination of the laws that created America's social insurance system.

America is a welfare state. When 2/5 of Americans receive some type of financial assistance from the government, and federal spending on retirement pensions, health care, and income security programs approaches one trillion dollars per year,...

This timely volume details the history and development of the American system of Social Security and examines the serious problems it faces. It covers the "prehistory" of Social Security dating back to the 19th century and projects the program's likely future over the next several generations.

Thematically, the book chronicles the origination of the initial Social Security Act of 1935, each major reform to the act through today, the nature and magnitude of the current difficulty facing Social Security, and each major remedy that has been proposed. It also examines programs in other...