TY  - JOUR
AU  - Feldstein,Martin
TI  - Rethinking Social Insurance
JF  - National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper Series
VL  - No. 11250
PY  - 2005
Y2  - April 2005
UR  - http://www.nber.org/papers/w11250
L1  - http://www.nber.org/papers/w11250.pdf
N1  - Author contact info:
Martin S. Feldstein
President Emeritus
NBER
1050 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA  02138-5398
Tel: 617/868-3905
Fax: 617/868-7194
E-Mail: msfeldst@nber.org
AB  - This paper begins by discussing the nature of and rationale for social insurance programs. I then consider three political principles and four economic principles that could guide the design and reform of social insurance programs. These ideas are then applied to unemployment insurance, Social Security pensions, health insurance and Medicare. A common theme is the advantage of incorporating investment based personal accounts in each of these programs.
ER  -