h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: History of the U.S. Social Security Pension Scheme - A79441923
Author: Not Banned Yet - U180337

This is an overview of the history of the American Social Security program. I intend to add a series of entries on specific elements of the program, if I can keep it from being too dry.

for the delay DBY, I'll get round to reading this this weekend

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It begs the obvious question, why?

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I think this would look better as 5 cents and 17 cents. It is an instance where the House Style rule of using words for numbers 10 or less can be overridden.

It might help non-US readers if you added a sentence or two indicating that the FICA withholding amount is the sum of two taxes, Social Security and Medicare, each with a different tax rate. Also that the tax only applies to the first so much of earnings. You don't need to specify the tax rates or limits as these may/will vary, or if you do, that they are 2010 figures or apply for whichever year you pick.

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The age at which full benefits are available will gradually increase, reaching 67 by the year 2027.

Fascinating entry. I never knew there was no (governmental) health insurance for people under 62. What about the most recent law? I've heard something has been changed there.

Thanks for the input. I'll be doing a bit of work on this entry in the next week or two. That will include incorporating the fact that the first three numbers of a Social Security number indicate the state in which it was assigned. Any Social Security number assigned in Colorado, where I live, for instance, would start with 521, 522, 523 or 524. So, since the first number assigned did not go to someone living in the state of New Hampshire, it did not start with 001.

Recent changes in health care laws do provide wider coverage, but are outside of the Social Security/Medicare system.

NBY

""I'll be doing a bit of work on this entry in the next week or two.""

I'll wait till you post back that you've made changes then before I comment. Looked ok on first read though.

BMT Scout

In reference to post 3
One reason a Woman in New Hampshire would get a lower number is because the first three digits are assigned by geographical location.
Those in New York get a different three digit code than those in New Hampshire. Once before identity theft was such a consideration many people would include the number when getting on company mailing lists.
I once saw such a list and noticed the People in California always had numbers starting in 9 while those in Maine or New Hampshire staarted with 0.

then there is the matter of retirement age varying based on the year you were born.
Here is an official table for reference. http://www.socialsecurity.gov/retire2/agereduction.htm

I've made most of the suggested changes. I think that the detail or things like the exact age at which a person born in 1954 can retire and receive full benefits is beyond the scope of this entry. It would be appropriate for a future entry I'm hoping to prepare that focuses on the various formulas in use by the Social Security Administration.

Looks good. OI wasn't suggesting the chart be part of the article but perhaps put in References.

If I wasn't planning a (near) future entry where it would be more appropriate, I would agree regarding referring to the eligibility chart. Since I do plan on an entry that is specifically about the various formulas in use by the Social Security Administration, I'll be using it there, instead.

Thank you for taking the time to look at this and offer input! Suggestions for improvement are always welcome.

NBY

Good entry just one nitpick:

Mr. Ackerman
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Mr Ackerman

Alex

This could to with a punchier title - it certainly doesn't draw me in to read the article at the moment!

Perhaps something like: "US Social Security - Protecting the Country's Poorest Since 1935" ?

Hi

I like the fact that this Entry starts with a quote from Franklin D Roosevelt, but I feel the next paragraph could set the scene a little more, maybe a sentence or two about the Depression, rather than a link away from h2g2? The link could still be added, of course, for the in depth information.

I guess I am asking for a description of what happened before the introduction of this scheme, in a few words.

Mala is right about the title, although the original one does say exactly what the Entry is about.


Lanzababy Scout

In reference to post #4
I am 63 and still not eligible for Medicare(our government health care).
Those on SSI (disability insurance) can get it earlier, but most Americans either have private insurance (or no insurance)
This is why President Obama put a provision in the new health care that takes effect in 2014 that everyone get some kind of coverage.
Many States are saying that this provision is Unconstitutional and want the US Supreme Court to lookat the law before uit goes into effect.
Even now, there is a lot of confusion, as to what his new health coverage includes. Opponents call it Obamacare and pushed a bill through the US House of Representatives to repeal it.
Since such a bill will not get 67 votes in the US Senate it stands no chance of passage.
Meanwhile if someone is below the poverty line and not old enough for Medicare there are medical programs called Medicaid administered by the individual states to cover medical care. This is not covered by the federal Social Security Trust Fund.

Looks like I should have mentioned Medicare begins at age 65 for most Americans( If they have worked long enough to qualify).
On my pay stub there are three liners of federal deduction
1. for income tax, 2. For Social Security, 3. for Medicare.
FICA (the Federal Insurance Contributions Act) only deals with the second deduction
see http://www.ssa.gov/mystatement/fica.htm for more on FICA

Many thanks for your suggestions. I'll be doing some revising in the next week or two.

NBY

Mr. Ackerman
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Mr Ackerman

Change made

I agree that the title is enough to cure insomnia for most people. I'm honestly at a loss on how to make it more interesting. The bit about protecting the country's poorest would be misleading, since the country's wealthiest also qualify for Social Security benefits. They actually get more money from the program, since benefits are based on included earnings.

I've also added a bit more introductory material about The Great Depression and wording that clarifies the fact that FICA and Medicare are separate taxes.

NBY

Thanks for adding a little more, but can I suggest you tidy it/ add a couple of missing commas please?


>>>>The Great Depression of 1929 through 1939 was the worst economic depression ever experienced by the industrialized world. Banks were forced out of business due to insolvency, business shut down farm income was cut by half and unemployment reached 25 percent in the United States. More information on The Great Depression is available here.


eg:
The Great Depression of 1929 through 1939 was the worst economic depression ever experienced by the industrialized world. Banks were forced out of business due to insolvency,[ many businesses shut down, farm income was cut by half and unemployment reached 25 percent in the United States.

You can delete this sentence [More information on The Great Depression is available here.] and put the link on the words [Great Depression] in the first sentence.




Lanzababy

It doesn't look right to me having just a quote and nothing else in the intro.
I would be more comfortable with it if you added a sentence in your own words as to what Social security is.
see for example A751736
If it were my article I would follw the quote from President Roosevelt with a sentence or to like:
The Social Security System is a scheme run by the US Government where taxpayers make regular (mandatory) contributions to a trust fund, expecting in return that when they get old or infirm they can draw on it.