T
The Daily Insight

What would replace Social Security?

Author

Andrew Mclaughlin

Published Mar 09, 2026

In the proposals presented to the Commission, the use of retirement bonds–and annuities based on bond accumulations- would also replace the entire benefit structure of Social Security for the future.

Should we keep Social Security?

Social Security is a particularly important source of income for groups with low earnings and less opportunity to save and earn pensions, including Black and Latino workers and their families, who face higher poverty rates both during their working lives and in old age.

Why Privatizing Social Security is a bad idea?

Privatization is a bad idea because it places risks on individual workers that they should not be expected to shoulder and that Social Security now spreads broadly among all workers. It would create costly and needless administrative burdens.

Why do government employees not pay Social Security?

The Social Security Act of 1935 excluded all federal, state, and local government employees from coverage because of constitutional ambiguity over the federal government’s authority to impose Federal Insurance Contributions Act payroll taxes on public employers and because these employees were already covered by …

Can the government reduce your Social Security?

If you receive a retirement or disability pension from a federal, state, or local government based on your own work for which you didn’t pay Social Security taxes, we may reduce your Social Security spouses or widows or widowers benefits.

Is privatizing Social Security good?

Myth 1: Privatization is a plan to save Social Security. Private accounts do nothing to address Social Security solvency. In fact, because private accounts are financed by taking money out of Social Security, privatization nearly doubles Social Security’s funding gap and moves forward the date of its insolvency.

Can my wife collect Social Security if she never worked?

Even if they have never worked under Social Security, your spouse may be eligible for benefits if they are at least 62 years of age and you are receiving retirement or disability benefits. Your spouse can also qualify for Medicare at age 65.

Can a person who has never worked collect Social Security?

The only people who can legally collect benefits without paying into Social Security are family members of workers who have done so. Nonworking spouses, ex-spouses, offspring or parents may be eligible for spousal, survivor or children’s benefits based on the qualifying worker’s earnings record.

Why the US should privatize Social Security?

Privatizing Social Security can boost workers’ rate of return by allowing retirement contributions to be invested in private assets, such as stocks, which yield a better return than the present pay-as-you-go retirement system.

What is the lowest Social Security check?

The first full special minimum PIA in 1973 was $170 per month. Beginning in 1979, its value has increased with price growth and is $886 per month in 2020. The number of beneficiaries receiving the special minimum PIA has declined from about 200,000 in the early 1990s to about 32,100 in 2019.

What is the most money you can collect from Social Security?

What is the maximum Social Security benefit? En español | The most an individual who files a claim for Social Security retirement benefits in 2021 can receive per month is: $3,895 for someone who files at age 70. $3,148 for someone who files at full retirement age (currently 66 and 2 months).