Re: How much will it cost to not go broke?
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We all know SS and Medicare are actuarialy bankrupt, and we are given rough years when this will happen.
What I want to know is how much of a budget surplus we would have to run starting in 2008 in order to make thier 75 year projections actuarially solvent.
Also, since the government already spent the "trust fund" I don't want those fictitious funds included in the calculation.
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This doesn't address your question, but if the suggestion is that we must either run a huge surplus soon or SS and medicare are doomed to inevitable insolvency, I don't agree. This isn't to say the estimates are wrong, but claiming we need a huge surplus or SS/Medicare will eventually go belly-up is a false dichotomy. Making SS and Medicare solvent could merely involve changing the benefit structure.
As an aside, I doubt anyone can answer your question with any kind of confidence. I don't agree with Copernicus on anything, but I suspect he would give you the best answer on this, if anyone could.
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