False Alarm

Joseph White is Luxenberg Family Professor of Public Policy, Department of Political Science, and Director of the Center for Policy Studies, Case Western Reserve University.

Introduction - Saving What, from What? Part I The Stakes: What Social Security and Medicare Do; Why Americans Trust Social Insurance and Distrust Entitlements; Social Security; Medicare's Structure, Benefits, and Financing. Part II Challenges That Are Not Crises: Why All the Fuss? The Story behind the Savings Crusade; Can Americans Afford to Grow Old and Grow Sick?; Exploiting Our Grandchildren? Part III Reforms That Would Not Be Improvements: Privatizing Security?; Medicare Vouchers - Not Ready for Prime Time; Too Young or Too Rich for Social Insurance? Part IV Responsible Reform: Moderate, Though Hardly Modest, Reforms; Real Responsibility.