The National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare Foundation (NCF) is proud to support the creation of Social Security Spotlight.  Thanks to a generous grant from the Retirement Research Foundation and guidance from the Task Force on the Future of America’s Health and Retirement Security, this important research provides a very clear description of the vital role Social Security plays in the lives of American families, communities and our national economy.

The NCF is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to protect, promote, and ensure the financial security, health, and wellbeing of current and future generations of Americans through research, analysis, and public education.

The NCF is based in Washington, DC and affiliated with the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare founded in 1982.

Mission

At the core of the National Committee Foundation is advancing and advocating for national public policy and civic engagement to embrace the long-term vision that social insurance is vital to the health and economic security of current and future generations.  In order to ensure that promise is met, NCF works toward the following goals: 

Goals

  • Improve public understanding of the positive value of Social Security and Medicare; special attention to vulnerable populations such as women, children, persons with disabilities, the oldest old, ethnic minorities, and rural communities.
  • Improve public understanding of the true nature and scope of the long-term challenges facing Social Security.
  • Improve public understanding of the serious crisis posed by shrinking private-sector retirement sources and health coverage.
  • Improve understanding of Medicare challenges including the successful implementation of health care reform.
  • Increase accuracy in local, state, and national media coverage of Social Security and Medicare.
  • Promote the value of Social Security and Medicare as a public trust.
  • Build and engage a broad cross section of organizations and individuals to protect and improve retirement and health security for all generations.
  • Promote expanded Medicare access to long-term care and other unmet health needs including access to dental, vision, and hearing care for seniors.
  • Protect and strengthen Social Security for current and future generations.

A project of:

About the Report

Social Security is our nation’s bedrock social insurance program. It protects American workers, their families and their children against the risks of poverty as a result of old age, death of a spouse or parent, or a life-changing disability. At a time of escalating inequality and declining retirement savings, the National Committee Foundation examines Social Security’s crucial and often neglected role in the economic life of communities in every state.

Research conducted by:
Peter S. Arno, PhD
Senior Fellow and Director, Health Policy Research, Political Economy Research Institute, University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Board member, National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare Foundation

Andrew R. Maroko, PhD
Assistant Professor, City University of New York Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy

NOTE:
This report uses 2014 data, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Due to rounding some totals may not correspond to the sum of the separate figures.

Social Security Spotlight