Description: The question is frequently raised: Do workers get their money's worth from the payroll taxes that they pay under the U.S. Social Security program? Analyses by nonactuaries are usually faulty because of incorrect methodology and/or incorrect assumptions. This paper presents an analysis of cash retirement benefits for various cases of workers at two earnings levels who attained age 65 and retired in the past and who will attain the normal retirement age and retire at several dates in the future. In summary, the vast majority of workers who retired in the past received, and are receiving, benefits of far greater value than the taxes that they paid. This situation will change in the future, especially if tax rates rise to a level sufficient to support the program over the long run. Many workers who retire in the future will not get their money's worth when the combined employer-employee taxes are considered. This result would be expected eventually for a program that is financed almost entirely by these payroll taxes. However, the vast majority of workers will get their money's worth if only the employee tax is considered. From Transactions of Society of Actuaries 1992, Vol. 44.

Description: This session from the 1983 SOA Hollywood, Florida Meeting examines the Social Security Amendments of 1983 including benefits vs. taxes over a worker's lifetime, implications of Social Security changes for employee benefit plans and compensation arrangements. From Record of Society of Actuaries, Vol. 9, No. 4.

Description: Article from The Actuary, June 1975, Volume 9, No. 6 on the release of the book Ernst & Ernst GAAP - Stock Life Companies, 653 pages, Ernst & Ernst, 1974. This volume will be sought after by every individual connected with GAAP work as a guide, as an explanatory text, and as a book of reference. This reviewer suggests that the Introduction be required reading for all actuaries whether or not they are actively at work in GAAP.

Description: Argues that the budget for the Social Security program should not be 'unified'with the rest of the federal budget in evaluating the federal deficit.

Description: This document is a meeting session summary. The meeting occurred at the 1976 SOA Spring Meeting in Washington D.C. The session compared and contrasted educational and experience requirements for actuaries and economists, costs of long range social insurance programs, costs of short range programs, economic analysis of the effects of social insurance programs and cooperation between the two professions to analyze social insurance programs.

Description: This paper documents recent medicare utilization experience from 1975-1977 extracted from a large statistical data file developed by the Department of Health and Human Services. From Transactions of Society of Actuaries 1982, Vol. 34.

Description: This article discusses Social Security amendments of 1983 that include triggering devices based on trust-fund ratios that affect the funding or benefits of the system for both OASDI and Medicare.

Description: Highlights the recent changes to Social Security and Medicare from enactment of the Tax Reform Act of 1986 and the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act. Also highlights some changes voted in by one of the houses but not by both, and therefore not enacted.

Description: The U.S. Bureau of the Census has rightfully earned a reputation for technical excellence. However, the author has run across an instance where this venerable, distinguished agency went sadly astray - namely, in connection with the number and proportion of employees of state and local governments who are covered by Social Security and Disability Insurance.

Description: The Social Security Act provides that, on or before April 1 of each year, the Board of Trustees of the OASDI trust funds and the two Medicare trust funds should submit to Congress reports presenting statistical operational data, future cost estimates, other actuarial analyses, and financing recommendations. The 1975 Report shows the worsening financial plight of the program.