Each state runs its own medical care programs. .
Together all Medicare and Medicaid expenses added up to about 334 billion dollars of coverage for 51 million people per year who are qualified for the payments in the 1990's (World Almanac). That wouldn't be so bad if one could find out exactly where all that money actually went considering the Medicaid plan alone almost doubled from the 1980's to the 1990's. It also says nothing about even distribution of the money. The almanac states that the money spent has leveled off toward the end of the 90's, partly because state policies restricting the number of recipients receiving benefits and the overall economy was improving. .
Another program is the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC). It provides cash benefits to dependent children and the parents or the guardians taking care of them. Most families that qualify for AFDC have just one parent in the home. About 80 percent of these single parent families are headed women (almanac). AFDC also pays benefits to two-parent families if both parents are unemployed. Most AFDC funding comes from the federal government. The states provide the rest of the money and administer the program. The sizes of a families' payment vary from state to state. The only objection to giving AFDC is how many families lied to qualify for the benefits. Some standards need to be set to go further then just a simple fill in the blank evaluation sheet. There are mothers and guardians who have had children who have received aid to support the child and not even used the aid for the intent it was given. The parents should be informed before they even have a child so they do not make these mistakes that the taxpayer has to pay for. .
Finally, the Food Stamp Program helps low-income households buy more and better food than they could otherwise afford. Each participating household receives a certain number of coupons called food stamps or an Electronic Benefits Transfer card which acts like a debit card and helps the Department of Agriculture keep track of what the money is being spent on.