Welfare refers to government programs that provide money, medical care, food, housing, and other necessities for needy people. Welfare is also called public assistance. People who receive welfare include children, the aged, the blind, the disabled, and others who cannot adequately provide for themselves and their families.
Public assistance differs from other government assistance programs called social insurance, or social security. Social insurance programs provide benefits to people whether or not they are poor. Social insurance programs are funded mainly by special payroll taxes on workers and their employers. Such programs include old-age, survivors, disability, and health insurance; unemployment insurance; and workers' compensation.
