Gerben DeJong, PhD, Senior Fellow, National Rehabilitation Hospital
I am concerned that we are focused on only one of the 3 legs of the proverbial retirement security stool, namely, the Social Security leg, when the other two legs are even more wobbly. Consider the erosion of employer-sponsored retirement plans, the wobbliness of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, and the lack of individual retirement savings. Time for a little broader perspective.
Moreover, we need to have a discussion on what the implications are for SSDI, the risk of cost-shifting to the SSI program, and new burdens on the states for the SSI and Medicaid programs. All of this becomes part of the mix.