Our Vision | Our Strategies | What is Social Insurance?
Founded in 1986, the National Academy of Social Insurance is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization comprised of the nation’s leading experts on social insurance policy, practice, research, and innovation. From Social Security and Supplemental Security Income to Medicare, Medicaid, and the Affordable Care Act; to Workers’ Compensation and Unemployment Insurance; to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and income-boosting tax credits, America’s social insurance ecosystem serves as the bedrock of economic protection against the risks of life — such as when we retire, lose a job, experience disability/illness, or lose a family breadwinner.
For nearly 40 years, the Academy and its powerful, diverse member network have championed the safeguarding, strengthening, and modernization of social insurance, working to increase public understanding of how it contributes to economic security.
Our Vision
We envision a society where health care, economic security, and well-being are assured across the lifespan and each person is adequately protected against life’s risks.
Achieving this vision will require:
- A dynamic national social insurance system offering true security through assured income and health protections that complement our market and job-based insurance structures.
- A strong and inclusive community that brings together diverse perspectives to inform, strengthen, and sustain social insurance policy through shared learning and collaboration.
- People-centered policymaking rooted in people’s real needs and experiences, ensuring social insurance reflects shared values, lived experience, interconnectedness, and intergenerational responsibility.
Our vision will have been realized when everyone has a strong foundation for health, well-being, and opportunity; no one experiences material hardship due to disability, aging, job loss, or poverty; economic security is protected during life’s transitions; and all have access to high-quality, affordable care in homes and communities.
Our Strategies
We pursue our mission through a set of interconnected strategies that advance knowledge, community, and intergenerational leadership. Leveraging the expertise and leadership of our diverse, cross-ideological membership, we work in partnership with social insurance experts, policymakers, the media, service providers, community organizations, and both current and future beneficiaries of social insurance programs. This collaborative approach reflects our belief in our shared humanity and interconnectedness—and in the principle that no one should live in poverty. A strong social insurance system is essential to upholding these values, and we work towards that goal through the following strategies:
- Network-building and member engagement to foster a strong and cohesive social insurance community–the “stewards of social insurance.”
- Convening experts and stakeholders across sectors to analyze timely topics and develop policy options to strengthen social insurance.
- Developing and uplifting research, analysis, and policy ideas for policy makers, key stakeholders, social insurance experts, and advocates.
- Informing and shaping the national conversation on the critical role of social insurance to families, communities, and the nation as a whole.
- Nurturing a strong, diverse pipeline of emerging leaders and established experts in social insurance to advance its future.
What is Social Insurance?
Social insurance has been an integral part of American life for generations. Key programs such as Social Security, Medicare, Worker’s Compensation, and Unemployment Insurance—as well as related public programs such as Supplemental Security Income, Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, and the Affordable Care Act—offer critical protection amidst life’s uncertainties, benefiting individuals, families, and the economy as a whole. Without social insurance, the number of Americans living below the federal poverty line would be nearly twice as high as it is today, and millions more would lack health coverage.
For nearly four decades, the National Academy of Social Insurance has been at the forefront of advancing and shaping social insurance policymaking, convening leading experts; breaking down silos across the field; educating policymakers; shaping the national conversation; developing future leaders; and fostering a unique community that bridges ideological divides.
Interested in supporting our work or becoming a member? Contact us to learn how you can help shape the future of social insurance.
