Inequality and the COVID-19 Pandemic
Social Insurance during the Pandemic: Successes, Shortcomings, and Policy Options for the Future
As the United States grappled with the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the National Academy of Social Insurance formed a COVID-19 Task Force consisting of two Working Groups that deliberated in two phases. The first phase was the Epidemiology Working Group. Chaired by Academy Member Dr. Neil Powe, Professor of Medicine at the University of California […]
Social Insurance Has Proven an Essential Lifeline for People with Disabilities During Tough Times
Older Workers Face Unique Challenges Accessing Unemployment Insurance
Pathways to Economic Security Toolkit
Drawing upon the work of multiple Academy Task Forces, this resource makes key findings and policy options accessible to advocates for economic security, state and federal policymakers, and journalists covering relevant issues. The toolkit contains fact sheets, infographics, and commentaries that reflect a broad range of expertise and provide data points and messaging on how enhancements to social insurance programs can strengthen Pathways to Economic […]
Social Insurance During the Pandemic
How did the U.S. social insurance system perform during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic? Could we have done better?
Economic Security for the 21st Century
In June of 1934, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt created the Committee on Economic Security with the mandate to craft policy proposals that would provide “security against several of the great disturbing factors in life” for all U.S. residents. Whether they knew it at the time, the members and staff of the Committee stood at the outset […]
2021 Social Security Primer
The primer is a PowerPoint presentation that provides factual background about Social Security, its benefits and finances, and some policy options to improve the program.
“Building Back Better” for Older and Disabled Americans Requires Bringing Supplemental Security Income (SSI) into the 21st Century
America’s Social Security system offers critical protection from poverty and hardship in old age, as well as for workers who are unable to support themselves through work due to disability. However, our current programs fall short in a variety of ways, leaving millions of low-income, disabled, and older workers to fall through the cracks. The […]
Understanding COVID-19’s Outcomes and Possible Trajectory: Implications for Social Insurance Programs
Since the beginning of the pandemic in January 2020, government officials and policymakers have faced unprecedented public health and economic challenges. Given conflicting federal public health guidelines, state-level variations, and low adherence to public health measures, the COVID-19 pandemic has had, and will continue to have, serious health and economic consequences in the U.S. The […]