Social policy today 591130 policy innovations, explaining the relative rates of diffusion by the type of policy,
the involvement of interest groups, and the level of government attention. For example,
the “Amber Alert” child abduction notification system that was adopted in more than
30 states in less than six years is an example of a “policy outbreak” that quickly spread
across the states.^40 And an analysis of anti-smoking policy found that learning from
early adopters, economic competition between proximate cities, imitation of larger
cities, and coercion from state governments all explained whether or not a city adopted
an anti-smoking policy.^41Social policy today
As of the 2019 fiscal year, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid make up nearly half
of all federal spending ($2.1 trillion out of $4.4 trillion). With an aging population and
health care costs that continue to grow as a percentage of the economy, these policies
will take an even greater share of the budget in the future. Given other spending
priorities, political pressure is mounting to put spending for social programs on a more
sustainable path. This section will explain the nature of these important programs and
discuss recent efforts to reform them.Social Security
Social Security is the most popular social program in the United States. Consequently,
it has developed a reputation as the “third rail” of politics (like the dangerous, power-
conducting rail on electrified train tracks) because a politician who dares to touch
Social Security risks political death. Despite serious problems concerning its long-
term solvency, Social Security has proven remarkably immune to any steps that could
be taken to shore up its financial health, such as cutting benefits, raising taxes, or
privatizing part of the program. Why is Social Security so popular, what long-term
challenges does it face, and what are the possible solutions to ensure the program’s
long-term viability?
One reason that Social Security is so popular is its universal quality—that is, nearly
every working American participates in the program, from Donald Trump to the
teenager flipping burgers at McDonald’s. Once people reach a certain age, they are
all entitled to Social Security checks without regard to how much income they have
from other sources, such as dividends, interest, or other pensions. So, unlike many
social programs that help only a subset of the population, and thus may foster an “usSocial Security
A federal social insurance program
that provides cash benefits to retirees
based on payroll taxes they have
paid over the course of their careers.
It is a “pay as you go” program in
which working Americans pay taxes
to support today’s retirees, with a
promise that when today’s workers
retire their benefits will be paid by the
next generation.“Why
Should
I Care?”
Understanding the policy-making process and the key actors in that process is
important for seeing why policies are adopted. Why do some policies, such as a
21-year-old drinking age and anti-smoking policies, spread quickly across the country,
while others, such as marijuana legalization and some environmental regulations, are
adopted in a few states and spread more slowly? If Congress gets involved, as with
health care reform, or the Supreme Court decides an issue, like with same-sex marriage,
then policy change can happen in big, nonincremental steps.ANALYZE THE CURRENT
MAJOR AREAS OF SOCIAL
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