Social insurance in the United States--including the Social Security Act of 1935 and the Medicare, Medicaid, and disability insurance programs that were added later--may be the greatest triumph of American domestic policy. But true security has not been achieved. As Michael J. Graetz and Jerry L. Mashaw show in this pathbreaking book, the nation's system of social insurance is riddled with gaps, inefficiencies, and inequities. Even the most popular and successful programs, Medicare and Social Security, face serious financial challenges from the coming retirement of the baby boom generation and the aging of the population. This book challenges the notion that American social insurance must remain inadequate, unaffordable, or both. In sharp contrast to policymakers and analysts who debate only one income security program at a time, Graetz and Mashaw examine social insurance whole to assess its crucial role in providing economic security in a dynamic market economy. They recognize that, notwithstanding a proper emphasis on individual freedom and responsibility, Americans share a common fate that binds them together in a common enterprise. The authors offer us a new vision of the social insurance contract and concrete proposals to make the nation's families more secure without increasing costs.

"[W]e must tell the story of how social insurance programs have assured basic economic and health security for millions of AmericansÖ.This book is a must-read for anyone who cares about these goals." -From the Foreword by Barbara Kennelly President and CEO, National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare This politically charged, provocative text serves as an introduction to social insurance programs, examining all aspects of these hotly debated policies. The editors cover cutting-edge topics, including Social Security and privatization, universal health insurance, and how America's changing demographics will impact social security in the years to come. Five key sections cover the critical topics: Social Insurance: History, Politics, and Prospects examines the foundational social insurance principles upon which Social Security, Medicare, and other programs are based What's at Stake identifies the risks posed to women, minorities, and the elderly if they could no longer depend on social insurance programs The Ongoing Debates on Social Insurance discusses public opinions of social insurance programs, and responds to arguments supporting privatization Critical Perspectives on Social Insurance Reform presents international experiences and policy trends, and analyzes reform movements from a social justice perspective Teaching Social Insurance: Critical Pedagogy and Social Justice presents pedagogical strategies to help students understand, influence, and engage in an informed debate about social policy

This classic social insurance work has been updated to cover a decade of policy developments and the impact of the recent economic crisis.The book includes in-depth discussion of all major programs to reduce economic insecurity in the United States, including Social Security, Medicare, workers' compensation, unemployment compensation, and temporary disability insurance. The principles, characteristics, and policy issues associated with social insurance and public assistance programs are discussed in detail. The book examines each major cause of economic insecurity and analyzes the appropriate social insurance program for dealing with the problem.

A global analysis of the effects of social security reforms on the retirement incentives and labor force trends of older workers. Employment among older men and women has increased dramatically in recent years, reversing a downward trend in the closing decades of the twentieth century. Social Security Programs and Retirement around the World examines how changing retirement incentives have reshaped labor force participation trends among older workers. The chapters feature country-specific analyses for Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. They find that while there is significant heterogeneity across countries, the reforms of recent decades have generally reduced the implicit tax on work at older ages. These changes correlate positively with labor force participation. The studies exploit the variation in the timing and extent of reforms of retirement incentives and employ microeconometric methods to investigate whether this correlation reflects a causal relationship. Policy changes appear to have contributed to rising labor force activity, but other factors like the role of women in the labor force, improved health, and changes in private pensions likely also play important roles.