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Founded in 1935, Social Security is a contributory social insurance program that provided benefits to 47 million Americans in 2004. Workers contribute financially to the system during their careers and earn entitlement to benefits upon retirement, disability, or death. One in six Americans receive Social Security benefits and it is the nation's largest anti-poverty program, lifting millions of seniors above the poverty line each year.
In recent years, Social Security's long-term viability has been questioned. Perceptions of a looming insolvency have made the program vulnerable to those who would privatize it, replacing it with a new system of individual savings accounts. Many human needs advocates argue that the program's long-term problems can be fixed without resorting to such drastic remedies, and oppose such accounts.
EPI: Social Security Facts at Glance
AARP Social Security Page
Campaign for America's Future: Social Security Campaign
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities Social Security Page
Center for Economic and Policy Research Social Security Page
EPI Issue Guide on Social Security
National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare
National Education Association Social Security Page
National Women's Law Center Social Security Page
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