Social:Entitlement reform

Entitlement reform refers to legislative efforts to make changes in the benefits paid from government administered funds to citizens who meet a certain requirement and are therefore entitled by either right or legislation to receive that benefit. This is discussed out of budgetary concerns. Similar reforms are discussed in other countries.

United States

In the United States, the scope of entitlement reform mainly covers Social Security reform. However, other benefits to citizens which are not administered by the Social Security Administration may also be included in the discussion of entitlement reform, such as Medicare, Medicaid, and food stamps.

As an example, Representative Paul Ryan specifically discussed reforming the former three programs, Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, in his op-ed in the Wall Street Journal of October 8, 2013.

Other countries

The subject of reforms to citizen benefit programs is also an issue for other countries, for example, in Europe, where countries like Ireland, Spain, the United Kingdom and Greece have been forced to deal with budget issues in response to the world economic crisis.

Ireland

In Ireland, politicians have been hesitant to do entitlement reform. Where possible, they have preferred to reduce wages of public employees instead. In response to the crisis, politicians have not ruled out the need for taking action in regards to entitlement reforms. In April 2011, in response to the debt crisis, the government submitted an action plan to the European Commission highlighting their reform efforts.

United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom , the economic issues and budget issues have led to an exploration of how to solve the problem. One suggestion has been to do entitlement reform, and end entitlements for middle-class families. The BBC reported that £31bn was spent on entitlements for the middle class.