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A "real" social safety net? Is that a joke? As though we already don't have tons of social programs? Sure, the US might not be as insanely generous as some E

A "real" social safety net? Is that a joke? As though we already don't have tons of social programs? Sure, the US might not be as insanely generous as some European nations, but the US has medicare, medicaid, food stamps (SNAP), social security, welfare (SSI), disability, housing assistance, CHIP, WIC, ACA subsidies, section 8 housing assistance, home energy assistance, and probably even more I can't think of or don't even know about. The US spends more than $2.3 trillion every year on those programs combined, which comes out to around $7,000 for each and every person in the US (around 330M). That's an absolutely mind blowing number.

jorblumesea 9y ago
$7k / person is nothing compared to most European countries. And we still don't have a single payer healthcare system.
- turc1656 9y ago
  To be clear - it's 7k for each person in the entire country - not each recipient. So the amount received by the actual people getting the benefits is far, far more than just 7k. Think about it this way - the average household income is something like 55k in the US. Even if it were just the far lower 7k number, that's nearly 13% of income. That maps out to around 6 weeks of work/income for which the member(s) of that household must work for to then have that money taken by government and given to someone else. And that's the best case scenario, using the lowest number. Households with multiple earners making larger amounts pay an even higher percentage towards all of this.
sharemywin 9y ago
Social Security: Last year, 24 percent of the budget, or $916 billion, paid for Social Security, which provided monthly retirement benefits averaging $1,360 to 41 million retired workers in December 2016. Social Security also provided benefits to 3 million spouses and children of retired workers, 6 million surviving children and spouses of deceased workers, and 10.6 million disabled workers and their eligible dependents in December 2016. Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP, and marketplace subsidies: Four health insurance programs — Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace subsidies — together accounted for 26 percent of the budget in 2016, or $1 trillion. Nearly three-fifths of this amount, or $594 billion, went to Medicare, which provides health coverage to around 57 million people who are over age 65 or have disabilities. The rest of this category funds Medicaid, CHIP, and ACA subsidy and exchange costs. In a typical month, Medicaid and CHIP provide health care or long-term care to about 74 million low-income children, parents, elderly people, and people with disabilities. (Both Medicaid and CHIP require matching payments from the states.) In 2016, 9 million of the 11 million people enrolled in health insurance exchanges received ACA subsidies, at an estimated cost of about $31 billion.
- sharemywin 9y ago
  ~$1272/mo per person on social security( around 60 m people) ~868 / mo per person for medicare(57 m) (both of these they paid all their life into) ~$668 /mo Medicaid and CHIP provide health care or long-term care to about 74 million low-income children, parents, elderly people, and people with disabilities.

jorblumesea 9y ago

$7k / person is nothing compared to most European countries. And we still don't have a single payer healthcare system.

turc1656 9y ago
To be clear - it's 7k for each person in the entire country - not each recipient. So the amount received by the actual people getting the benefits is far, far more than just 7k. Think about it this way - the average household income is something like 55k in the US. Even if it were just the far lower 7k number, that's nearly 13% of income. That maps out to around 6 weeks of work/income for which the member(s) of that household must work for to then have that money taken by government and given to someone else. And that's the best case scenario, using the lowest number. Households with multiple earners making larger amounts pay an even higher percentage towards all of this.

sharemywin 9y ago

Social Security: Last year, 24 percent of the budget, or $916 billion, paid for Social Security, which provided monthly retirement benefits averaging $1,360 to 41 million retired workers in December 2016. Social Security also provided benefits to 3 million spouses and children of retired workers, 6 million surviving children and spouses of deceased workers, and 10.6 million disabled workers and their eligible dependents in December 2016. Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP, and marketplace subsidies: Four health insurance programs — Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace subsidies — together accounted for 26 percent of the budget in 2016, or $1 trillion. Nearly three-fifths of this amount, or $594 billion, went to Medicare, which provides health coverage to around 57 million people who are over age 65 or have disabilities. The rest of this category funds Medicaid, CHIP, and ACA subsidy and exchange costs. In a typical month, Medicaid and CHIP provide health care or long-term care to about 74 million low-income children, parents, elderly people, and people with disabilities. (Both Medicaid and CHIP require matching payments from the states.) In 2016, 9 million of the 11 million people enrolled in health insurance exchanges received ACA subsidies, at an estimated cost of about $31 billion.

sharemywin 9y ago
~$1272/mo per person on social security( around 60 m people) ~868 / mo per person for medicare(57 m) (both of these they paid all their life into) ~$668 /mo Medicaid and CHIP provide health care or long-term care to about 74 million low-income children, parents, elderly people, and people with disabilities.