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1 week ago | 
aei.org | Andrew Biggs |Sita Slavov |Mark J. Warshawsky |James Pethokoukis
Article Retirement Accounts Lift Over One Million Seniors Out of Poverty Article There’s No Retirement Crisis. But Why Do So Many People Think There Is?
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1 month ago | 
aei.org | Mark J. Warshawsky |Julia Cataneo
Access the dashboard hereIn our March 2025 working paper, we (and co-authors John Mantus and Gaobo Pang) explain, justify, and show the results of our updated macroeconomic projection model of the US economy and federal budget. We argue that debt, deficits, and health care spending will grow beyond levels projected by Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and others, in turn causing welfare losses for future generations.
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1 month ago | 
aei.org | Mark J. Warshawsky |Julia Cataneo
A decline in retirement security is one area of concern arising from President Trump’s introduction of a new regime of high tariffs. In particular, due to significant stock market losses in response to these tariffs, 401(k) and IRA balances have declined, and older workers considering retirement or already retired may directly experience reduced income flows as a result.
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1 month ago | 
aei.org | James Pethokoukis |Mark J. Warshawsky
Today on Political Economy, I talk with Mark Warshawsky about the state of the Social Security system as we size up some of the reforms currently on the table. From long-term solvency issues, to misinformation about who is and isn’t receiving disability benefits, there’s no shortage of challenges to confront at the Social Security Administration. While the Trump Administration has its own ideas about how to boost efficiency, the keys to a more competent SSA might be right under our noses.
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Oct 10, 2024 | 
aei.org | Mark J. Warshawsky |Zichu Yang
Two days ago, the Harris-Walz campaign released the basic outline of a proposal to expand Medicare benefits to cover home health care for 67 million elderly and disabled individuals. The announcement received widespread media coverage in largely favorable terms without much analysis, despite the campaign providing only sketchy details and no budget score.
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Oct 2, 2024 | 
aei.org | Mark J. Warshawsky
Five years ago, some analysts and policymakers hoped that allowing Medicare Advantage (MA) plans to offer long-term care (LTC) benefits would be a largely federally financed option for retired and disabled people for such coverage.
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Sep 12, 2024 | 
aei.org | Mark J. Warshawsky |Zichu Yang
In a prior blog post on updating the vocational standards for Social Security disability benefits eligibility, I cited an empirical analysis showing that in the years since the beginning of the pandemic, employment among people with disabilities has risen due to a widespread shift to remote working in many occupations. The employment increase is unsurprising, as working from home offers numerous benefits for individuals with various mental and physical disabilities.
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Aug 29, 2024 | 
aei.org | Mark J. Warshawsky |Julia Cataneo
This Labor Day will mark the 50th anniversary of the passage of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (“ERISA”). ERISA is a landmark piece of comprehensive bipartisan legislation governing private sector employee benefits, particularly retirement plans and accounts. It passed through an orderly Congressional process nearly unanimously, with the full support of President Nixon, after more than ten years of careful study, discussion, and debate.
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Jul 26, 2024 | 
aei.org | Mark J. Warshawsky |Lauren MacDonald
The Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program, administered by the Social Security Administration (SSA), offers monthly cash payments and Medicaid health insurance coverage to nearly one million children with disabilities from poor families. Schools are an essential channel through which disabilities are identified, families learn about SSI, and get the needed documentation to apply for benefits. Also, schools are often the nexus of informal networks where information is shared.
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Jul 17, 2024 | 
aei.org | Mark J. Warshawsky
In last year’s budget deal, the Fiscal Responsibility Act, Republican negotiators insisted on the inclusion of an 18-month-long provision called Administrative Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO), intended to rein in massive spending by the agencies of the Biden administration. In response to the original rule’s ineffectiveness, House Budget Committee Republicans recently introduced the Strengthening Administrative PAYGO Act of 2024.
