Introduction
Social security is the biggest national expenditure program. It offers funds for retired employees, cash allowances for the family members of employees who die prior to their retirement, and disability benefits. It is regarded as a kind of social assurance program financed via payroll contributions (Roe, 1997).
Discussion
It has been realized that the huge retirement of baby boomers is likely to affect this social security program. In order to save the system from this massive retirement, the retirement age should be raised. The yearly cost of living adjustment should also be reduced and mandated benefits should be decreased. All this would to some extent decrease the benefits for retirees. For instance, the high amounts of money offered to retirees’ increases their life expectancies by improving their living standards and their access to medical technology. They therefore live longer as compared to the past.
These predictable increases in life expectancies of employees have put a great burden on the Social Security programme since it significantly extends the time period that upcoming generations receive their benefits. It is evident that by merely living longer, people of 65 years in 2030 will get 11% more benefits than if they lived during the 1990’s due to increasing life expectancy. This problem can be solved by making people to give more of their salaries in taxes throughout their working period, receive fewer benefits during retirement or may be retreat later.
Increasing the age for retirement of workers is another way of reducing the effect of massive retirement of baby boomers on Social Security. It should also be authorized that employees put in some portion of their earnings in a government-controlled account. The money in these accounts should not be taken out before retirement with the exception of cases of lasting disability or death. During retirement, the money accrued in these accounts should be changed into an annuity. Since this conversion should be obligatory and should be undertaken by government agencies, it should be done at no cost ( Mellor & Rehr, 2005).
This plan should be in such a way that it raises benefits for the most poor and to those who have worked for 40 years and above. Baby boomers should also be encouraged to continue working even after reaching retirement. Social security, retirement funds and accounts should thus cooperate to assist all employees build a confident retirement without overburdening the social security programme.
This social security program is also running out of money as the population changes. The policies which should be proposed to prevent it from bankruptcy include entrusting a portion of the nations predicted budget to the trust fund. This way the social security programme will not face problems of bankruptcy since the government puts some of its funds into it.
The other policy involves fully encompassing the effect of current changes to the consumer price index into the trust fund projections and increasing the cap on salaries that are liable to the payroll fee so that it matches with the upward income distribution (Limbaugh , 2007). The above two policy options were chosen since they allow the benefits in addition to the programs fundamental structure to remain induct. Policies of increasing taxes are not recommended since they lead to poor relationship between the employees and the government.
Conclusion
Social security has been an outstanding victorious story. It has offered tens of millions of employees with the base earnings they need to have a reasonable retirement. Its objectives are met more sufficiently compared to private options. The above-mentioned opinions and policies if followed will ensure sustainable growth of the program.
References
Limbaugh , D. (2007). Bankrupt: The Intellectual and Moral Bankruptcy of Today’s Democratic Party. Washington, D.C.: Regnery Pub.
Mellor, J. M., & Rehr, H. (2005). Baby boomers: can my eighties be like my fifties? New York, NY: Springer.
Roe, P.T. (1997). The social security dilemma. Kbh: Copenhagen Peace Research Institute (COPRI).