Social Security. medicare

July 10, 2025

Dueling Views on the “One Big Beautiful Bill” and Its Impact on Social Security

The Social Security Administration (SSA) and legal scholars have offered sharply differing perspectives on the recently enacted One Big Beautiful Bill. In an official communication, the SSA hails the legislation as a historic victory for seniors, emphasizing tax relief for nearly 90% of Social Security recipients. By contrast, in a commentary published by VERDICT: Legal Analysis and Commentary from Justia, Amherst professor Austin Sarat criticizes the SSA’s messaging as a politicized distortion, arguing that it prioritizes presidential branding over transparency and fails to address the deeper structural challenges facing Social Security. These conflicting narratives raise important questions about policy substance, public trust, and the politicization of federal agencies.

VIEW ONE:

From the Social Security Administration:

June 13, 2025

How H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, Would Affect the Distribution of Resources Available to Households

by David Badertscher

From the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), June 12, 2025:*

OVERVIEW:

“This interactive tool illustrates the distributional effects of H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. It allows users to explore how H.R. 1, as passed by the House of Representatives on May 22, 2025, would affect the economic resources available to households grouped on the basis of their income. (See CBO’s estimate of the budgetary effects of the bill.)

December 16, 2024

2024 SSRN End of Year Message

by David Badertscher

A message from Shirley Decker-Lucke, Managing Director of Social Science Research Network (SSRN):

Dear SSRN community,

As the year draws to a close, I wanted to share with you some of the work we’ve done in 2024 to improve the experience for authors and researchers at SSRN.

December 13, 2024

The Golden Years, How Americans Invented and Resisted Old Age: a Review

by David Badertscher

Chappell, James. The Golden Years, How Americans Invented and Resisted Old Age. Basic Books, 2024 (publication date November 19, 2024).

James Chappell’s The Golden Years provides a compelling and incisive examination of the history of aging in America from the 19th century’s radical yet unrealized visions for reparative pensions to the contemporary decline of collective policy frameworks supporting older adults. Chappell’s narrative is richly detailed and deeply thought-provoking, offering both a historical chronicle and a critique of the evolving relationship between aging, public policy, and societal expectations.

Chappell shines a light on the early idealistic efforts to repair lives disrupted by war and slavery in the post-Civil War era. These movements, though ambitious, were thwarted by political deadlock and systemic inequalities. The author paints a vivid picture of how old-age support became a prominent issue, yet remained mired in compromises that excluded many, particularly African Americans. The 1935 Social Security Act—a cornerstone of the New Deal—marked a turning point, but its benefits were initially restricted to industrial workers, leaving agricultural and domestic laborers, disproportionately Black, on the sidelines.