Means-tested programs limit eligibility to individuals and families whose incomes and or assets fall below a pre-determined threshold (means test). They are generally financed by tax revenues and may take the form of entitlements (e.g., Medicaid, SNAP/Food Stamps) or have spending caps (e.g., State Child Health Insurance Program, housing subsidies, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families).

Poverty Politics and Policy
- Mary Jo Bane
- Discussion Paper
- September 2008

Patterns of Long-Term Utilization of Medicaid and Food Stamps by Wisconsin Welfare Leavers
- Robert Haveman; Thomas Kaplan; Barbara Wolfe; with Sandra Barone
- Report
- July 2002