| Public Assistance Programs |
- Illinois Department of Human Services - offices
in Southern Illinois.
- Illinois LINK Program - food stamps program.
- Medicaid - assistance programs for low-income people.
- Medicare - medical assistance for senior adults.
- Spousal Impoverishment Prevention
- Social Security
- SSI - financial assistance for low-income people.
- Utility bill assistance - help paying for energy bills and weatherizing homes.
The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act, often referred to as welfare reform, is complex. Most of the reforms seemed to be aimed at people of working age. However, changes which affect immigrants seem to be one aspect of welfare reform which may directly affect older people.
The National Immigration Law Center estimated that almost half (44 percent) of the welfare reform’s budget cuts would affect immigrants, although they total only 5 percent of all welfare recipients. Welfare use by older immigrants is concentrated in the Supplemental Security Insurance or SSI program. Even though immigrants made up 9 percent of the total older population, prior to 1997, they made up 28 percent of SSI recipients aged 65 and over. Use this link to view citizenship requirements for immigrants to be eligible for Medicaid and food stamps.
Perhaps of greater concern to all older people are cutbacks in the Medicaid budget and its effect on hospitals and nursing homes. A study of hospitals in California with a large proportion of Medicaid patients found they tend to reduce services for Medicaid patients in response to Medicaid cuts. The study also concluded that Medicaid-dependent hospitals were more likely to close due in part to Medicaid cutbacks. I believe that these same conclusions may be drawn for nursing homes which are heavily dependent on Medicaid.
If you need more information on welfare reform or would like to express your concern about cutbacks in Medicaid, call your Congressman’s office. The staff of your Congressman should be able to obtain additional information and help answer your questions.
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