When voters look at candidates' positions on Social Security, it helps to know the basic history of America's most successful social insurance program. President Franklin Roosevelt's grandson, Jim Roosevelt, says that  history shows us the way forward during this crucial election year.  Part 3 of our special series as part of the Vote4SocialSecurity 2024 voter education campaign! 

In a recent survey, a majority of voters said Social Security would be a major factor in their vote this fall. Most candidates claim to support Social Security, but the devil is in the details. Our Policy Director Dan Adcock helps us sort through the good and bad proposals for the future of Social Security... in this second episode of our special series of voter education podcasts! 

This is the first episode in a special series of voter education podcasts about Social Security for 2024!  Our guest is labor economist, author, and columnist Kathryn Edwards. She explains why this New Deal program is a Good Deal for Americans of all ages - including younger adults. This is all about why we must protect Social Security --- and vote accordingly! 

What do Social Security, Robert F. Kennedy, Sr., and the Brooklyn Dodgers have in common? The answer is:  Bill Arnone.  In part two of our interview, the former aide to RFK Sr. and newly retired CEO of the National Academy of Social Insurance says Senator Kennedy was quite the advocate for Social Security & Medicare.  Bill reminisces about what it was like growing up in the Bronx and rooting for the Dodgers --- and reveals the subject of his new book.  

As outgoing CEO of the National Academy of Social Insurance, Bill Arnone looks back on his many decades as a thought leader on retirement security.  A former staffer for Senator Robert F. Kennedy, Sr., Bill has worked to raise the public's knowledge and appreciation of Social Security. In this wide-ranging interview, he tells us that it's time to hand-off his life's work to a new generation of advocates and leaders. 

READ THE TRANSCRIPT HERE::: https://www.ncpssm.org/documents/transcript/your-earned-this-podcast-transcript-123/

Alison Barkoff is head of the U.S. Administration for Community Living... and a self-described, lifelong "advocrat" for seniors and people with disabilities. In this episode, we chat with Alison about her passion for helping uplift these populations --- and the Biden administration's commitment to turn Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) from a "side show" into the "centerpiece" of elder care.  Plus --- what this year's Older Americans Month was all about!

READ THE TRANSCRIPT HERE::: https://www.ncpssm.org/documents/transcript/your-earned-this-podcast-transcript-122/

Half of Medicare beneficiaries did not visit the dentist during the past year because they couldn't afford to.  Melissa Burroughs of the advocacy group Care Quest says neglecting oral health can contribute to serious health issues in older people --- including Alzheimer's, heart disease, and diabetes.  Worse yet, traditional Medicare does not cover routine dental care. As Melissa tells us, it's time for that to change! 

Raising the retirement age is "the stupidest and most dishonest fix" for Social Security, says L.A. Times' Pulitzer Prize-winning columinist Michael Hiltzik in part 2 of our conversation.  In this episode, Michael breaks down the harmful conservative proposals for addressing Social Security's financial challenges --- including means testing and cutting benefits for younger adults. "It makes no sense to me," he tells us.  If those are the wrong ideas, then what are the right ones?  A must-listen! 

READ THE TRANSCRIPT HERE::: https://www.ncpssm.org/documents/transcript/your-earned-this-podcast-transcript-120/

Pulitzer Prize-winning L.A. Times columnist Michael Hiltzik is sick and tired of the mainstream media getting it wrong when reporting on Social Security's finances. The gloom & doom headlines accompanying the latest trustees report are a prime expample of reporters' misunderstanding of how Social Security (and Medicare) really work --- feeding into a false narrative that undermines Americans' earned benefits. Michael gives us the real scoop in part 1 of a 2-part conversation.

READ THE TRANSCRIPT HERE::: https://ncpssm.org/documents/transcript/your-earned-this-podcast-transcript-119/

Senator Sheldon Whitehouse has a plan to keep Social Security and Medicare financially strong for generations... without cutting benefits.  He sat down with our president, Max Richtman, to talk about the difference between his plan and GOP proposals to cut both programs... plus President Biden's actions to bring down prescription drug prices for seniors! 

READ THE TRANSCRIPT HERE::: https://www.ncpssm.org/documents/transcript/your-earned-this-podcast-transcript-118/