Free Essay

1937 Social Security Act

In:

Submitted By cswilcox09
Words 357
Pages 2
1937 Social Security Act

The Social Security Act is a law that began a change in American health and wealth system. The Social Security Act was set into motion by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on August 14, 1935 (DeWitt, 1999). In 1935, the SSA (Social Security Act) was originally created as a retirement plan (UNKNOWN, 2009); it has evolved drastically since its original proposal. “The Act was drafted during President Franklin D. Roosevelt's first term by the President's Committee on Economic Security, under Frances Perkins, and passed by Congress as part of the New Deal. The Act was an attempt to limit what were seen as dangers in the modern American life, including old age, poverty, unemployment, and the burdens of widows and fatherless children. By signing this Act on August 14, 1935, President Roosevelt became the first president to advocate federal assistance for the elderly.” (HISTORY OF SOCIAL SECURITY IN THE UNITED STATES, 2016)
Social Security Act was created for a multitude of reasons, to name a few: poverty among senior citizens, the stock market crash in 1929, and also allowing older employees to retire. Retiring employees actually caused the unemployment rate to decrease because younger employees were filing the open positions. The SSA was the first of many changes that influence today’s healthcare system. Social Security is now available to every US citizen. It helps the retired, disabled, and many more. It has become an intricate part of the healthcare system, specifically in reference to the evolution that brought around Medicare and Medicaid. These are two major contributors to today’s society. In 1959 the poverty rate among elderly patients was around thirty-five percent, today it is reduced to around ten percent. Poverty reduction effects HealthCare because more patients can afford their health needs. When someone can afford to pay their Deductibles and Co-Pays that prompts more frequent visits, which in turn, generates revenue for healthcare providers and establishments.
The Social Secirty Act has evolved in the last 81 years. As society evolves so will the HealthCare system, but it all began with President Franklin D. Roosevelt and the 1937 Social Security Act.

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Case Study Aetna Medicare Supplements

...sick or disabled. Who qualifies for the Medicare Supplement Plan? In order to qualify for Aetna Medicare Supplemental insurance policies, you have to possess the Original Medicare Part A responsible for paying for medical facilities and Part B that is responsible for paying for doctors’ fees. People who have attained the age of 65 years can enroll for the program. It’s advisable that you start enrolling during the initial enrollment period that begins three months before and after your 65th birthday. You may suffer fines of up to 10% in your premiums if your delay to apply yearly. People who have been living with disability for a period of 24 months are also qualified to apply if they have been receiving Social Security. Retirees who have been receiving Social Security and have applied for Medicare Part B can also enroll for the Medicare supplement plan. You can also consider dis-enrolling every beginning of the year or changing from a Medicare Advantage plan to the Original Medicare plan whenever you feel not satisfied with your current package. Contact the Aetna agents for further information about how to drop or change a Medicare Supplement plan. Which health care facilities accept Medicare supplement plans? Remember that not all health care centers accept the Medicare supplement programs, and hence you should call your health care center of choice beforehand to ensure that your Medicare supplement plan can be accepted. However, even in health care centers that don’t...

Words: 920 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Fdr New Deal Was Successful

...Unemployment was over 25 million. The New Deal was successful because it helped decrease unemployment rate through different programs it implemented. Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s objectives were to revitalize the economy as the aftermath of the depression. The way he can/would do so is to bring the unemployment rate down. Roosevelt also wanted women and African Americans to have more rights. He asked “Congress to fund relief for millions of unemployed Americans. In May, Congress established the Federal Relief Administration (FERA)”(742) Shortly after in November of 1933, Roosevelt established the Civil Works Administration that put 2.6 million men and women to work 1929 | 2.6 million | 1933 | 15 million | 1935 | 11 million | 1937 | 8.3 million | 1938 | 10.5 million | 1939 | 9.2 million | 1940 | 8 million | with in thirty-days. This chart above is the amount of people unemployed. Earlier in the year of 1933, “Congress appropriated 3.3 billion for the Public Works Administration (PWA)”(743). The PWA built 70% of schools, 35% of hospitals and many warships. In 1933, over 5 million were employed by these agencies. The purpose of these alphabet agencies was to alleviate...

Words: 728 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Informal Research Paper

...Social Security Tax Taxes are a necessary evil in any civilization. In order to keep the government running and pay for goods and services, like police and a defense force, everyone must pay their fair share so that money can be collected to foot the bill, so to speak. Social Security is one such service. The Social Security program helps seniors to be able to live in retirement and also helps the less fortunate who need government assistance for various reasons. While most citizens pay their fair share of the tax, there is a bias in the system towards the very rich. This bias makes the Social Security tax not only a recessive tax, but also one that unfairly burdens the less fortunate with the bulk of the costs. The tax is unfair. The history of the Social Security Tax is directly tied to the hardships of the Great Depression. To help combat what were seen as economic dangers arising from life in the United States at the time, President Franklin Roosevelt’s Presidential Committee on Economic Security drafted the Social Security Act and sent the act to congress as part of the New Deal (Social Security Administration). The Social Security Act would create a program by which certain individuals, mostly the elderly, would receive payments from the government. The program outlined under the Social Security Act would provide aid to those hit hardest by the financial realities of the Great Depression and the hardships of the future, and also help to give elderly...

Words: 1422 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

The Great Depression

...The Great Depression was an economic slump in North America, Europe, and other industrialized areas of the world that began in 1929 and lasted until about 1939. It was the longest and most severe depression ever experienced by the industrialized Western world. Though the U.S. economy had gone into depression six months earlier, the Great Depression may be said to have begun with a catastrophic collapse of stock-market prices on the New York Stock Exchange in October 1929. During the next three years stock prices in the United States continued to fall, until by late 1932 they had dropped to only about 20 percent of their value in 1929. Besides ruining many thousands of individual investors, this precipitous decline in the value of assets greatly strained banks and other financial institutions, particularly those holding stocks in their portfolios. Many banks were consequently forced into insolvency; by 1933, 11,000 of the United States' 25,000 banks had failed. The failure of so many banks, combined with a general and nationwide loss of confidence in the economy, led to much-reduced levels of spending and demand and hence of production, thus aggravating the downward spiral. The result was drastically falling output and drastically rising unemployment; by 1932, U.S. manufacturing output had fallen to 54 percent of its 1929 level, and unemployment had risen to between 12 and 15 million workers, or 25-30 percent of the work force. The Great Depression began in the United States...

Words: 3517 - Pages: 15

Free Essay

Legislation on the Elderly in the United States

...United States Final Paper The Older American Act of 1965 was signed into law on July 14, 1965. This act established the Administration on Aging within the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare and called for the creation of State Units on Aging. This act was considered one of the most important contributions on aging legislation enacted by congress. This report is a review of legislation regarding Older American Act.   TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction on the history of Legislation on the Elderly ……………………………………2 Background Early Acts Enacted to meet the needs of the Elderly……………………………2 Early Acts Enacted leading up to OAA of 1965 …………………………………………..3 Review of Older American Act…….. ………………………………………………………4 Older American Title Review…………..…………………………………………………….5 Amendments………………………………………………………………………………….9 Strength and Weakness of Older American Act……………………………………………..14 Recommendation…………………………………………………………………………….15 Conclusion … ………………………………………………………………………………16 References……………………………………………………………………………………17   Introduction The new deal program of the 1930’s was enacted by congress to address economic issues during the Great Depression. The Social Security Act of 1935 was a response to criticism for the lack of aid to retired workers age 65 and older and who no longer worked (justfacts.com). This law created "a system of Federal old-age benefits" (justfacts.com). The new act provided pensions, unemployment insurance to nonagricultural`...

Words: 4268 - Pages: 18

Free Essay

Social Security

...Macroeconomics Social Security Chapter One: The Structure of the Social Security System What is Social Security? How does it work? When and why was it started? Who benefits from Social Security? Who pays into Social Security? According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, Social Security is “the principle or practice or a program of public provision (as through social insurance or assistance) for the economic security and social welfare of the individual and his or her family; or a U.S. government program established in 1935 to include old-age and survivors insurance, contributions to state unemployment insurance, and old-age assistance”.# Social Security was a plan enacted on August 14, 1935, by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. This program provided people in a need base situation with survivor benefits, disability benefits, health-care benefits, and automatic cost-of-living adjustments. In order to fully understand Social Security one must understand how and why it came about into our economy and society and the effects it has had on our nation. In the late 1800’s many of Americans earned a living out on the farm. People made money according to how well they could produce certain crops, how much they sold, and how easy it was for the farmers to get their goods to a marketplace. This set a basis and standard of living where children didn’t have to worry about what they would do for a living. At that time there was only one option, and that was to be a farmer...

Words: 2343 - Pages: 10

Free Essay

Social Security Paper

...10/08/12 Social Security Paper A brief introduction to the topic of United States Social Security program tells us that it came from the “Old-Age, Survivors, & Disability Insurance” federal program and is meant to provide welfare. There were actually a few similar precursors to what we know as social security, one example being a pension program following the American Civil War. After the Civil War there were hundreds of thousands of widows, orphans, and disabled vets. Even before this, an article informed me that the first national pension program began in early 1776; prior to the signing of our declaration. Not long after the Civil War had ended, America began to rapidly change. This had a lot to do with the Industrial Revolution and the urbanization of the population. This led us to stray from an extensive agrarian family unit that could support their elders to a more condensed American family living in cities. Combining demographic and social changes (including the increase of life expectancy by roughly 10 years), America had fewer and fewer people living on the land, and more of its population in the cities. Unfortunately, this led to a “fragile” provision of economic security. Social Security itself was created on August 14, 1935, when President Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act. Not only did this new legislature help with the general welfare of the public, but it also provided a way for retirees over 65 years of age to receive a continued form of income...

Words: 666 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

New Deal Effects

...One of the many advantageous acts was the NLRA of 1935, which granted workers the right to speak out about work conditions, along with the forming of unions. According to the bureau of labor statistics, about 12% of workers in 1935 were part of a labor union and up until this year it has grown to almost 35%. By seeking for change independently, employees have been gaining more power and as time goes on, jobs will become higher quality and safer, due to the laborers. The SSA will also forever preserve the results of the New Deal. By covering 6 in 10 jobs across the country social security benefited over half of the working Americans, and especially the retired. According to the Historical Statistics of the United States, the number of people aged 65 or older has been on the rise, and jumped by about 2.5 million since 1930 (more than it ever had). These numbers will continue to rise due to the help from the Social Security Administration, and every generation to come will benefit from FDR. Along with helping the elders, the youth, who keep in mind are the future, received many benefits from the New Deal. 155,000 children in families in need of assistance were paid through small jobs of up to 25$ a month, and sometimes job training was included. By 1937, upwards of 400,000 youth were included in this program. Once again stats are on the rise and with the youth benefiting so much,...

Words: 854 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

American Political Hwk

...model of how careful government planning could dramatically improve the social and economic welfare of an underdeveloped region. Legislation Purpose Emergency Banking Relief Act Enlarged federal authority over private banks Government loans to private banks Civilian Conservation Corps Unemployment relief Conservation of natural resources Federal Emergency Relief Administration Direct federal money for relief, funneled through state and local governments Agricultural Adjustment Administration Federal farm aid based on parity pricing and subsidy Tennessee Valley Authority Economic development and cheap electricity for Tennessee Valley National Industrial Recovery Act Self-Regulating industrial codes to revive economic activity Public Works Administration Federal public works projects to increase employment and consumer spending Legislation Purpose Emergency Relief Appropriations Act (1935) Large-scale public works program for the jobless (includes Works Progress Administration) Social Security Act (1935) Federal old-age pensions and unemployment insurance National Labor Relations Act (1935) Federal guarantee of right to organize trade unions and collective bargaining Resettlement Administration (1935) Relocation of poor rural families Reforestation and soil erosion projects National Housing Act (1937) Federal funding for public housing and slum clearance Fair Labor Standards Act (1938) Federal...

Words: 262 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Social Security Paper

...History The U.S. Social Security program is designed to aid residents in need through welfare subsidies. The programs are provided by organizations on federal, state, local, and private levels; and help to provide eligible residents with food, shelter, healthcare, education and money. Aid is provided through financial aid for college education, unemployment disability insurance, food stamps, pensions for eligible low-wage workers, subsidies for housing, and health insurance programs for public employees (Feldstein, 2005; Krugman, 2007). President Franklin D. Roosevelt enacted the Social Security Act on August 14, 1935 as a means to battle the Great Depression of the 1930’s. Beginning in 1932, the government had started providing loans and grants to States to pay for direct relief and work relief, since States, local communities, and private charities did not have the financial resources to cope with the growing needs of the American people. Then in 1935, when the Social Security Act was created, two social insurance programs were established on a national level for the American people. One of these Federal systems provided benefits for the elderly and retired workers who had been employed in industry or commerce. The second was a Federal-State system that would provide insurance to the unemployed (Historical Development, n.d.). Since its conception, the Social Security Administration has grown and developed programs shaped by America’s changing economic and social conditions...

Words: 987 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

The Fluidity of Great Depression. Gender Norms & Racial Bias in the Study of the Modern "Great Depression"

...The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in 1930 and lasted until the late 1930s or middle 1940s. It was the longest, deepest, and most widespread depression of the 20th century. In the 21st century, the Great Depression is commonly used as an example of how far the world's economy can decline. Cities all around the world were hit hard, especially those dependent on heavy industry. Construction was virtually halted in many countries. Farming and rural areas suffered as crop prices fell by approximately 60%. Facing plummeting demand with few alternate sources of jobs, areas dependent on primary sector industries such as cash cropping, mining and logging suffered the most. Some economies started to recover by the mid-1930s. In many countries, the negative effects of the Great Depression lasted until after the end of World War II. Start Economic historians usually attribute the start of the Great Depression to the sudden devastating collapse of US stock market prices on October 29, 1929, known as Black Tuesday; some dispute this conclusion, and see the stock crash as a symptom, rather than a cause, of the Great Depression. Even after the Wall Street Crash of 1929, optimism persisted for some time; John D. Rockefeller said that "These are days when many are discouraged. In the 93 years of my life, depressions have come and...

Words: 7897 - Pages: 32

Premium Essay

History of Civil War

...drastic changes beginning with the Civil War on April 12, 1861 to the end of the Civil Right era in 1968. Within our history, there have been so many changes to the authority of how the political, social, and economic structures were crucial in developing our federal government in the United States. The first of the four examples that I will talk about in this paper is the Civil War and the freeing of the slaves. The Civil War was one of the most unpleasant disagreements recorded in our history. The Civil War began after Abraham Lincoln was elected to be our sixteenth president of United States. He was against slavery, and formed the Confederate States of America that consisted over fifty major battles and five thousand minor battles. When President Lincoln designed the Emancipation Proclamation, it was to help see slaves be free and have their freedom to work throughout the world. John Hope Franklin stated, “If it was a humanitarian document, it gave hope to millions of Negroes that a better day lay ahead, and it renewed the faith of thousands of crusaders who had fought long to win freedom in America." It was a social change, as the African American’s believed it could encourage full citizenship and inclusion into their country of birth as well. This was an understanding of the social issues of slavery and discrimination was relating to race and how it divided our nation. In 1865, two years after President Lincoln designed the Emancipation Proclamation, the thirteen amendments...

Words: 986 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Court Packing Scheme Essay

...FDR’s New Deal and Court Packing Scheme Franklin D. Roosevelt came into presidency in 1933, during the Great Depression, and created the New Deal. The New Deal is a number of programs and acts Roosevelt’s passed to address the aftermath of the Great Depression. The New Deal is broken up into sections also known as the three R’s: relief, recovery, reform. Each section had a different goals to try an help America get back on its feet. The Relief aspect of the New Deal focused on taking immediate action to end the deterioration of the economy. The Tennessee Valley Authority was one of the most famous and successful programs that was created to help ease the economic hardship. This agency brought electricity to rural areas that could not afford electricity power lines, taught better farming methods, replanted trees, and built dams. This was one of the most successful programs because it related prosperity in a poverty stricken area. Furthermore, the Emergency Banking Act intended to restore public confidence in banks by allowing the government to examine all banks. It helped set the nation’s banking system right. On the other hand, the Federal Emergency Relief Act was not completely...

Words: 717 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Appeasement

...Germany * Hitler was prepared to gamble that the other European powers would be reluctant to go to war to stop him. WHAT WAS APPEASEMENT After 10 million deaths in the First World War, many countries were determined to prevent any future conflict. In the 1920s the League of Nations tried to follow the idea of collective security: * the idea that countries acting together could discourage aggression and, if necessary, act together to stop aggressors. * This was not very successful as it proved hard for all the countries in the League of Nations to agree on a common policy. As a result a second idea was considered. Appeasement was a policy adopted by Britain during the 1930s. * This policy developed from the growing belief that some countries, especially Germany, had been unfairly treated in the peace settlement of 1918-1919. * When they began to demand aggressively that some terms in the Versailles treaty be scrapped, some people argued that this was only right. If their grievances could be settled by negotiation, it would avoid the need for the aggression. * Once they were "appeased" in this way, they would act in the same way as others in foreign affairs. This policy was used in the 1930s to try to prevent both Italy and Germany from going to war to achieve their respective objectives....

Words: 1726 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Social Security Anti-Poverty

...Social Security just turned 80 years old this year and it still remains the single most effective anti-poverty program ever created in the United States. Throughout history, mankind has struggled with the welfare of the elderly and disabled. Before social security was available, many in the United States were unable to accumulate enough wealth to support themselves in the later years of their lives. The elderly and disabled would become a burden to the family and society. Unless you happen to die before you get old, everyone grows old and eventually just about everyone will not be able to continue work and earn an income at some point in their life. Before major portions of the population lived in organized societies, the old and disabled...

Words: 1775 - Pages: 8