- Pamela Herd, Melissa Favreault, Madonna Harrington Meyer, and Timothy Smeeding
- Special Issue 2017
- Focus-33-3f
- Link to foc333f (PDF)
- Link to foc333sup (PDF)
While the Social Security program has greatly reduced poverty rates among those over age 65, there are still a substantial number of older Americans living in poverty. Those who are single, female, or African American are more likely to be poor in old age. We propose a targeted benefit to provide a minimally adequate income to the elderly, to be administered through the Social Security system. This plan would substantially reduce poverty among older adults at a relatively modest cost to the federal government.
Categories
Economic Support, Employment, Financial Security, Means-Tested Programs, Retirement, Social Insurance Programs