Record Number of Americans Enrolled in Government Anti-Poverty Programs

by Lauren Kelley · 2010-09-02 08:20:00 UTC
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Yet another sign of the times: USA Today reports that government anti-poverty programs are seeing record enrollment numbers as the Great Recession continues to wreak havoc on millions of Americans' finances.

According to government data, federal and state anti-poverty programs now serve about 17 percent of Americans. That means that one out of every six people you see walking down the street is currently receiving help from the government to make ends meet — and that number is only going up.

Take Medicaid, for instance. The state-federal program, which mainly serves low-income individuals, currently has some 50 million enrollees — an increase of 17 percent since the recession began in late 2007. (When healthcare reform goes into full effect in 2014, the program will gain another 16 million enrollees.)

It's the same situation with food stamps. As more people have become eligible for the program, in part through expansions authorized by President Obama, caseloads have soared. Some 40 million Americans receive food stamps today, representing a whopping 50 percent increase since the beginning of the recession. Furthermore, unemployment insurance enrollment has increased four-fold, to nearly 10 million people, while welfare has seen its enrollment grow by 18 percent, to 4.4 million.

These numbers could easily be used by critics of social benefits as an example of how government spending has gotten out of control. And it's true, the price tag for all these benefits is steep: spending on Medicaid has jumped 36 percent in two years, to $273 billion, while jobless benefits cost $160 billion, food stamps $70 billion and welfare $22 billion.

But government anti-poverty program proponents like myself would argue that, while expensive, these programs are the absolute least our government can do to help its citizens through trying economic times. With many people's benefits running out and no jobs in sight, I'd like to hear what alternative there is.

Photo credit: Bart Everson

Lauren Kelley is an associate editor at AlterNet and a freelance writer. She has volunteered for Planned Parenthood of North Texas, Amnesty International, 826NYC and other groups.
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