What is social insurance? Who does it benefit? Answer: Everyone!

In this episode of Associations Thrive, host Joanna Pineda interviews William Arnone, CEO of the National Academy of Social Insurance. William discusses:

• What social insurance is – Social Security, Medicare, unemployment insurance and workers compensation. The US government pools risks across the entire country and then provides universal benefits to people in need.
• How the Academy is the largest community of scholars and experts on at least one area of social insurance.
• The Academy’s membership process: you can’t just join, you must be nominated.
• How the Academy of nonpartisan. The Academy does the research and lets others advocate.
• Bill’s winding journey as a staff in Congress, running an area agency on aging, serving as Board Chair of the Academy, and then becoming CEO of the Academy.
• The questions to ask yourself when considering a job and when thinking about your legacy: Is what you’re doing meaningful and does it have impact?
• The skills you need to run a think tank: legal training, fundraising skills, communication skills, and so much more!
• The Academy’s intentional efforts to diversify the membership, including considering life experience as a form of expertise.
• During this election season, the Academy wants the discussion about social insurance to be based on evidence, and not ideology.
• How the Academy has a newsletter that anyone can sign up for to become better educated about the issues surrounding social insurance.
• How there are holes in the social safety net, including programs for people who are part of the so-called “gig economy.”.

References:

• NASI website