Archive: Alicia H. Munnell

Market optimism may be masking deep retirement risks. Planning for retirement has always been hard, but when government policy is unpredictable, it makes it even more challenging. For example, changes to Social Security and Medicare can put basic security at risk; changes to the tax system can scramble a household’s finances; and ballooning government debt…
Medicare receives too little attention. While the Trustees’ Report on Social Security makes headlines, commentary on Medicare is relegated to the back pages. Yet Medicare is a huge and growing program, operating in an expensive environment. In 11 years, the country is slated to pay more for Medicare than Social Security…