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Policy Summit 2026 – Armchair Conversation: How Do We Meet the Moment?

Day Two’s opening conversation steps back to ask a bigger question: What kind of society are we choosing to be when it comes to aging and disability, and how do we show up for one another across the lifespan? At a time when fear and retrenchment dominate the headlines, and when the foundations of our […]

Policy Summit 2026 – Building Unemployment Protections and Workforce Development for the AI Economy

As AI and automation rapidly transform the U.S. labor market, the need to modernize our social protection systems has become increasingly urgent. This session explores how technological disruption is exposing gaps in our unemployment insurance and workforce development systems. We examine a range of policies, from bold structural innovations like Universal Automatic Accounts, to strengthened […]

Policy Summit 2026 – Paid Leave: Unfinished Business from the New Deal

Social Security and paid leave have long been conceived as largely separate programs. Yet the omission of guaranteed protections in the event of serious but temporary illness or injury is a gap that perpetuates economic insecurity for workers across the country. This panel explores paid leave as a missing piece of Social Security in America […]

Policy Summit 2026 – The Future of Health and Long-Term Care

We’re in a constrained yet catalytic policy moment. As demand for long-term care rises and system gaps deepen, this session explores near-term reforms spanning Medicare and Medicaid as well as bold new ideas like a Medicare home care benefit. A common theme is readiness: having the policy ideas, coalitions, and messaging in place to act […]

Policy Summit 2026 – Opening Plenary: The Future of Benefits in a Time of Change

As we mark 90 years since the New Deal, we’re reminded that bold ideas and collective action can meet the toughest challenges, and that our society is strongest when we refuse to leave anyone behind. This panel discusses the new Benefits Futures Studio, explores the core principles of a people-centered benefits system, connects social insurance […]

The Case for Enhanced Wage Records: Lessons from States

New research by Michele Evermore of the National Academy of Social Insurance and Will Raderman of the Niskanen Center explores how states are using enhanced wage records (EWRs) to better understand today’s labor market. Alaska, Connecticut, Louisiana, North Carolina, and Wyoming are among a growing number of states collecting enhanced wage records—expanded unemployment insurance data […]

National Academy of Social Insurance Names Alison Barkoff Senior Fellow

Washington, D.C. — The National Academy of Social Insurance is excited to announce that Alison Barkoff, a nationally recognized expert on disability rights, health law, and long-term care policy and professor at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health, has been named a Senior Fellow of the Academy. “Alison’s work is grounded […]

Academy CEO Rebecca Vallas Reacts to Reports SSA Will Not Move Forward with Disability Proposal

Washington, D.C. — Following reports that the Social Security Administration will not move forward with a proposal that would have significantly restricted access to Social Security disability benefits for older workers, Rebecca Vallas, CEO of the National Academy of Social Insurance, issued the following statement: “I’m incredibly pleased to see Commissioner Bisignano and the Administration decide not to pursue proposed […]

Introducing the Aging & Disability Health Policy Lab!

Thanks to a major multi-year commitment from The SCAN Foundation, the Academy is honored to serve as the home for a new Aging & Disability Health Policy Lab. Led by Tim Engelhardt, former director of CMS’s Medicare-Medicaid Coordination Office, this new independent, nonpartisan Lab will support the growing ecosystem of organizations advancing the needs of […]