Enrollment in Safety Net Programs

Fewer Americans draw on federal relief programs, By Richard Wolf, May 24, 2012, USA Today: “Three years after the recession officially ended, most of the nation’s safety-net programs finally are serving fewer people, an analysis of government data shows. The downward trend that started with unemployment insurance in 2010 and welfare benefits in 2011 has reached food stamps, which have seen a two-month dip – the first time that’s happened under President Obama.  Only Medicaid, the federal-state health care program for the poor, remains at its peak, due to the slow recovery, the erosion of employer-sponsored insurance and federal rules that prohibit states from slashing eligibility. Still, even Medicaid has started to level off in some states…”