The United States a Welfare State

The purpose of a government is to set boundaries or laws for a society, as well as to offer welfare. Welfare is defined as health and happiness, but also the opportunity to achieve those wants and needs. The United States is a country that is known to be a place where one can strive to become or undertake whatever dream one may have, although it may become difficult depending on one’s economic status. The United States does offer welfare such as, social security, food stamps, medicaid, and others. However, if one were to compare the U.S. with Denmark, a famous welfare state, the two don’t measure up. Although the United States does offer welfare subsides, it does restrict lower income citizens from obtaining …show more content…
A controversial issue that has been discussed in the most recent presidential candidate debate, is healthcare and education. Healthcare in most developed countries is free and offered by the government. The United States is the only country that doesn’t offer that, as a result healthcare is significantly overpriced and because of its high price, people often go underinsured or not insured at all (Bernie Sanders on Healthcare). In 2005, 46.6 Americans didn’t receive any health insurance (Forman). As of now the numbers are relatively the same. In Denmark, every citizen has the right to free health insurance. In difference to the U.S., only a few Americans get free insurance, typically very poor people, children, elderly, and congressmen. Free public education is offered in both countries, but only at a certain extent for the U.S, which is kindergarten to twelfth grade, while Denmark provides it all through college. Obtaining free college education is a massive difference, for the U.S. the total national debt exceeds 1 trillion dollars, that is more than the total credit card debt. The welfare systems are incomparable and do affect the outcome of people’s lives, for instance the university one attends, what career path one chooses to take, and the amount of coverage one …show more content…
Although they seem little they do help many Americans, one being Social Security. Social Security taxes Americans on money earned and saves it in a fund, which will be kept until they retire. Another benefit is food stamps, which allows low income citizens to buy free food. Health care is unfortunately more complicated and costly. Forman here explains that, “In 2004, healthcare cost $1,519 for the average person ages 25 to 34, $2,263 for those ages 35 to 44, $2,695 for those ages 45 to 54, $3,262 for those ages 55 to 64 and $3,899 for those aged 65 and older”. With costs like those it’s not difficult to understand why so many people decide not to pay for health insurance, when they could buy something else with that money that they see more resourceful to them. 46.6 million of Americans in 2005 lived uninsured and the numbers