1. Thirty-nine percent of adults who make more than $100,000 have used entitlement benefits at one point, compared with 70 percent of people who make less than $30,000, according to the Pew study.
2.
The average monthly food stamp benefit is $133.42 for an individual, according to the Department of Agriculture, which administers the program. The rate is highest in Hawaii ($213.65) and lowest in Minnesota ($115.98). In fiscal year 2012, 46.6 million people (in 22.3 million households) received food stamps, and the federal government spent $74.6 billion on the program that year.
3.
Welfare recipients can receive benefits for a maximum of 60 months during their lifetime. With a few exceptions, able-bodied adults are required to participate in work or work-training in order to receive benefits.
4
The average number of monthly welfare recipients reached 4.6 million in 2011, benefiting an average of 1.9 million families.
5.
President Lyndon B. Johnson established Medicare under Title XVIII of the Social Security Act.
6
Medicare does not cover the entire cost of all medical expenses or most long-term care. For those eligible, Medicare Part A (hospital insurance) is available without a premium, and Part B (medical insurance) is available for a monthly premium of about $100.
7.
In 2014, people younger than 65 with an income of less than $15,000 for a single individual (and slightly higher income cutoffs for couples and families with children) will be eligible for Medicaid. The federal government and states are still debating how to cover the cost for the program's potential growth. In 2011, 52.6 million Americans were receiving Medicaid. The federal government spent $272.8 billion on the program in 2010, and state governments spent $116.3 billion, totaling $389.1 billion.
8.
Benefits are based on a percentage of a person's recent earnings and are capped at 26 weeks, in most cases. There are different requirements for federal civilian employees and ex-service members, as well as in cases of high unemployment and in disaster areas.
9.
The federal government and states paid a combined total of $117.2 billion for unemployment benefits in 2011.
10.
SSI provides income support to elderly, blind, or disabled adults, and to blind or disabled children with limited income and resources. The program is funded by general tax revenue and not Social Security taxes.
11.
People who are eligible for Social Security include retired workers (62 and older) and their families as well as survivors of deceased workers, and disabled workers and their families.
12.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act into law on Aug. 14, 1935. The original legislation created a payment program for retired workers 65 and older, unemployment insurance, old-age assistance, aid to dependent children, and state grants for providing medical care.
13.
In 2011, the government paid $731 billion in Social Security benefits to 35.6 million retired workers, 2.9 million retired workers' spouses, 6.3 million deceased workers' spouses, and 10.6 million disabled workers.
14.
Ninety-seven percent of adults 65 and older have received an entitlement benefit during their lives, compared with 33 percent of adults under the age of 30, according to the Pew survey.
15.
Fifty-five percent of Americans have received benefits from one of the six major entitlement programs, according to a recent Pew Research Center study.
16.
The breakdown: 21 percent of the budget went to health care (Medicare, Medicaid); 20 percent to Social Security, and 13 percent to the safety net programs, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
17.
In the East, 58 percent of people say they have used at least one entitlement program compared with 55 percent in the South, 54 percent in the West, and 53 percent in the Midwest.
18.
Rural residents disproportionately benefit from entitlement programs, with 62 percent having received benefits, compared with 54 percent of urban and 53 percent of suburban dwellers.
19.
In the presidential election, 53 percent of people who said they voted for Mitt Romney have received entitlement benefits in their lifetime. For President Obama, the number was 59 percent.
20.
More than one in four adults (27 percent) claim to have received unemployment assistance at some point. The figure is 26 percent for Social Security, 22 percent for Medicare, 18 percent for food stamps, 11 percent for Medicaid, and 8 percent for welfare.
