The Characteristics of Service Providers in the US Social Service Area : Focusing on Home Health and Nursing Home

Abstract

Policy debates surrounding welfare mix or welfare pluralism have been constantly major issues in social policy area. This study reviewed the trend and current features of welfare mix at the social care service area focusing on the US, and tried to find policy implications from the current social care management systems under welfare mix in the US. In order to analyze the trend of welfare mix in US social care area, this study limited the social care services under the Medicaid and Medicare.<BR> Study findings showed that the amount of public finances for social care services had continuously increased since 1980. This trend should been paid attention to because the conservative ideology had been stressed since 1980. Especially the federal finance(and state finance) on Medicare and Medicaid have increased in a large amount. Also it is expected that these finances are more and more increasing over 10 years because Affordable Care Act passed in 2010.<BR> Because the percentile of cash benefit had continuously decreased and the number of social service beneficiary had increased since 1980, the US policy makers have established social providing systems which enable service users to choose the services they want. In order to provide social service users with meaningful power to select the services they want, it is important to make multiple providers enter the social service area. Among providers entering social service area, private sector(for-profit) is the most salient group in the US.