Welfare
Welfare reform proposal and the welfare reform legislation just passed in August of 1996 caused great concern for its effects on children. This new statute aims to
to cut back on social programs by $64 billion over 6 years. It also eliminated the insured. Cash payment by the government to law income families with children. Rather than the federal guarantee each state will be receiving a block grant however, there is a $16.11 national cap.
States are able to distribute the funds in ways that they deem necessary and no longer have to match federal funds. Also, recipients are requirements lifetime benefit limits, and a requirement stating that all teenager mothers must live at home or in another adult supervisors setting in order to receive any government funds.
Poor people can still get Medicaid but $28 billion were cut from the food stamps program and over 6 years $3 billion will be removed from child nutrition programs. Also legal immigrants, including children, lost eligibility for most benefits.
Those new rulings are expected to push large numbers of kids below the poverty line, this being very harmful to their health. Already about 26% of children below 6 years old and 22% of children are living below the poverty line.
According to research conducted in Boston, poor children are 9 times more likely to experience neglect, 4 times more likely to be abused, over 5 times as likely to lack specific essential micro nutrients, and 3 times as likely to suffer from fair or poor health, as high income youths. They are also noted to have 2 times the chance of severe asthma, over 2 times the risk of stunted growth or fatal injuries, and at least 3 times the risk of iron deficiency.
The poor children are also 3 times as likely to die during childhood. This ordinance also created provisions for childcare funding for working welfare parents and an understanding child support collection system.
Some more statistics:
