“Affordability” is today’s political buzzword. As people in the U.S. experience rising prices and fall behind financially, savvy politicians are tuning in.

Getting by is getting harder, particularly for those with lower incomes and leaner socioeconomic resources. Federal budget cuts to healthcare coverage, food and housing assistance, and more contribute to the squeeze. Although the conversation around addressing inequality through social welfare policies and programs is usually defined by partisan divides, it’s important to recognize that most Americans believe that it’s the government’s responsibility to help ensure people’s basic needs, like healthcare, at least in some form.

There’s little consensus, however, about the best way to provide such aid. Elected leaders too often politicize social welfare programs and policies, driving polarization. The public is wary of increasing government spending; and trust in the government, its representatives, and its institutions is at a major low. Undergirding these issues are the default norms and assumptions of the American Dream, self-reliance, and individualism—pillars of the U.S.’s cultural story—which not only valorize hard work and economic success but equate them. These cultural defaults........

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