The Financial Condition of the Social Security and Medicare Trust Funds
The Financial Condition of the Social Security and Medicare Trust Funds
The Social Security and Medicare Trustees Reports were released on August 5, 2010. The reports — which were delayed by over three months in order to incorporate the impacts of the new health care reform law — provide both the short-and long-term financial outlooks for the trust funds. The two largest entitlement programs face growing financial challenges which will directly impact the overall federal budget. Demographic changes and rising health care costs pose a threat to the sustainability of these programs. Reforms will be necessary to address the increasing demand. To read a statement by Peter G. Peterson Foundation President and CEO, David Walker, click here.
PGPF provides a brief discussion of the updated financial outlooks of the Social Security and Medicare trust funds as well as their budget implications. For general information on trust funds click here.
Further Reading
A State-by-State Look at the Threat of Social Security’s Looming Insolvency
Should Social Security’s primary trust fund be allowed to deplete, the economic consequences will be felt by millions of households.
In Their Own Words: Debt a Critical Issue for Voters in 2026 Election
Voters understand that the national debt has become too big to ignore as a major factor in America’s affordability crisis.
Spending on Veterans in the Budget
Federal spending for veterans has increased relatively sharply in the past two decades as scores of veterans returned home from extended wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.