[Background Material and Data on Programs within the Jurisdiction of the Committee on Ways and Means (Green Book)] [Front Matter] [From the U.S. Government Printing Office, www.gpo.gov] 108th Congress 2nd Session Committee Print WMCP:108-6 COMMITTEE ON WAYS AND MEANS U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES __________ 2004 GREEN BOOK BACKGROUND MATERIAL AND DATA ON THE PROGRAMS WITHIN THE JURISDICTION OF THE COMMITTEE ON WAYS AND MEANS March 2004 Prepared for the use of the Members of the Committee on Ways and Means by members of its staff. This document has not been officially approved by the Committee and may not reflect the views of its Members. COMMITTEE ON WAYS AND MEANS U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES __________ ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTH CONGRESS WILLIAM M. THOMAS, CALIFORNIA, Chairman __________ ALLISON H. GILES, Chief of Staff This document was prepared by the majority staff of the Committee on Ways and Means and is issued under the authority of Chairman William M. Thomas. This document has not been reviewed or officially approved by the Members of the Committee. LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL __________ House of Representatives, Committee on Ways and Means, Washington, DC, March 2004 The Honorable William M. Thomas Chairman, Committee on Ways and Means U.S. House of Representatives Washington, D.C. 20515 Dear Chairman Thomas: Since 1981, the Committee on Ways and Means has published the Green Book, which presents background material and statistical data on the major entitlement programs and other activities within the Committee's jurisdiction. Information on major social programs outside the Committee's jurisdiction is also included. The Green Book has become a valuable resource for Members of Congress, various legislative agencies, the executive departments, as well as scholars and citizens interested in government social programs. The document was prepared by the Committee staff with assistance from the following organizations, to which the staff extends its sincere thanks: Congressional Research Service (CRS) of the Library of Congress; Congressional Budget Office; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; U.S. Department of Labor; Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation; Social Security Administration; Joint Committee on Taxation; and the Railroad Retirement Board Staff. Many members of the Committee's staff made major contributions to the preparation and publication of this document. In particular, I wish to call your attention to the work of the Subcommittee on Human Resources staff: Matt Weidinger, Staff Director, assisted by Margo Smith and Christine Devere, alongwith editorial assistance and coordination provided by Risa Salsburg. On behalf of all those who worked on this, the 18th edition, I am pleased to transmit the 2004 Green Book to you and other Members of the Committee on Ways and Means. Sincerely, Allison H. Giles, Chief of Staff P R E F A C E After 17 previous editions, the Green Book has become a standard reference source on American social policy. It is widely used by Members of Congress and their staffs, analysts in congressional and administrative agencies, members of the media, scholars, and citizens interested in the Nation's social policy. This edition of the Green Book follows the basic pattern of previous editions. The volume is divided into two parts, Program Descriptions and Appendices. In the Program Description part, separate sections are devoted to the major programs under the jurisdiction of the Committee on Ways and Means: Social Security; Medicare; Supplemental Security Income; Unemployment Compensation; Earned Entitlements for Railroad Employees;Trade Adjustment Assistance; Temporary Assistance for Needy Families; Child Support Enforcement; Child Care; Title XX Social Services Block Grant; Child Protection, Foster Care, and Adoption Assistance; Social Welfare Programs in the Territories; Tax Provisions Related to Retirement, Health, Poverty, Employment, Disability, and Other Social Issues; and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation. A final section summarizes major social programs not under the jurisdiction of the Committee (including food stamps, Medicaid, the State Children's Health Insurance Program, Federal housing assistance, School Lunch and Breakfast Programs, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, the Child and Adult Care Food Program, the Workforce Investment Act, Head Start, the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, veterans benefits and services, and workers'compensation). The Appendices include information directly related to the programs under the Committee's jurisdiction, including: health care of the elderly; long-term care expenditures; Medicare reimbursements for hospitals and physicians; the Medicare+Choice Program; data on employment, earnings, and unemployment; data on families and poverty; Federalbudget tables; benefits available to noncitizens; spending on income-tested benefits in recent decades; a review of studies of the effects of welfare reform; and information about nonmarital births and Federal strategies to reduce nonmarital pregnancies. For the first time individual chapters of the Green Book have been posted on the Committee's website as they are completed, prior to the publication of the book as a whole. This is designed to speed the availability of data to those who access the Green Book, enhancing its utility to policymakers and others. CONTENTS Page Letter of Transmittal iii Preface iv PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONS Start End Section 1 Social Security: The Old Age, 1-1 1-82 Survivors, and Disability Insurance Programs Section 2 Medicare 2-1 2-155 Section 3 Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 3-1 3-70 Section 4 Unemployment Compensation 4-1 4-36 Section 5 Earned Entitlements for Railroad 5-1 5-28 Employees Section 6 Trade Adjustment Assistance 6-1 6-16 Section 7 Temporary Assistance for Needy 7-1 7-98 Families (TANF) Section 8 Child Support Enforcement Program 8-1 8-107 Section 9 Child Care 9-1 9-62 Section 10 Title XX - Social Services Block Grant Program 10-1 10-12 Section 11 Child Protection, Foster Care, and 11-1 11-140 Adoption Assistance Section 12 Social Welfare Programs in the 12-1 12-15 Territories Section 13 Tax Provisions Related to Retirement, 13-1 13-75 Health, Poverty, Employment, Disability, and Other Social Issues Section 14 The Pension Benefit Guaranty 14-1 14-16 Corporation Section 15 Other Programs 15-1 15-150 APPENDICES Appendix A Data on the Elderly A-1 A-14 Appendix B Health Status and Expenditures of the B-1 B-47 Elderly, and Background Data on Long-Term Care Appendix C National and International Health Care C-1 C-48 Expenditures and Health Insurance Coverage Appendix D Medicare Payment Policies D-1 D-56 Appendix E Medicare + Choice E-1 E-56 Appendix F Data on Employment, Earnings, and F-1 F-11 Unemployment Appendix G Data on Families G-1 G-41 Appendix H Data on Poverty H-1 H-45 Appendix I Budget Tables I-1 I-28 Appendix J Welfare Benefits for Noncitizens J-1 J-33 Appendix K Spending for Income-Tested Benefits, K-1 K-13 Fiscal Years 1968-2000 Appendix L Assessing the Effects of Welfare L-1 L-76 Reform Initiatives Appendix M Data on Nonmarital Births to Adults M-1 M-14 and Teenagers and Federal Strategies to Reduce Nonmarital Pregnancies Index INDEX-1 INDEX-66