Chen Y P
University of Massachusetts, Boston.
Annu Rev Gerontol Geriatr. 1988;8:189-216.
After identifying the income security system as a tripod structure symbolizing the efforts of the individual, the employer, and the government, the first section of this chapter suggested that economic security is a broader concept than income security, since a person is concerned not only with the acquisition of income and assets but also with the retention and disposal of them. Factors such as health care expenditures, housing and living arrangements, service delivery, and support networks affect income and asset retention. Both acquisition and retention of income and assets, furthermore, are influenced by macroeconomic policies. This section also discussed the possibility that the role of the individual in providing economic security may be underestimated. In the second section, the heterogeneity of older persons was demonstrated in terms of both income sources and the relative importance of these sources to persons in different income classes. Social Security declines in importance as income level rises, whereas assets and employment as sources of income increase with income levels. Occupational pensions are of minimal importance to persons in the lowest-income class. Though more important to persons in the higher-income classes, occupational pensions as a proportion to their total income lie between 10% and 20% for these groups. By definition, public assistance is important only to the lowest-income class. During the last two decades, the relative importance of these income sources has changed, as pointed out in the third section, which also speculated on their future roles. The fourth section proposed possible ways of improving the five income security mechanisms: to provide more child-care credit for women under Social Security, to strengthen portability under private pension plans, to make IRAs more accessible and more meaningful for retirement purposes, to enhance the role of employment for adults, and to raise SSI so as to eliminate poverty. The chapter concluded by emphasizing that, without accessible and adequately financed health care, few persons will feel economically secure with the incomes they have.
在将收入保障体系确定为象征个人、雇主和政府努力的三脚架结构之后，本章第一节指出，经济保障是一个比收入保障更宽泛的概念，因为一个人不仅关心收入和资产的获取，还关心它们的保有和处置。医疗保健支出、住房和生活安排、服务提供以及支持网络等因素会影响收入和资产的保有。此外，收入和资产的获取与保有都受到宏观经济政策的影响。本节还讨论了个人在提供经济保障方面的作用可能被低估的可能性。在第二节中，从收入来源以及这些来源对不同收入阶层人群的相对重要性方面展示了老年人的异质性。随着收入水平的提高，社会保障的重要性下降，而作为收入来源的资产和就业则随着收入水平的提高而增加。职业养老金对最低收入阶层的人来说重要性极小。虽然对高收入阶层的人更重要，但职业养老金在这些群体总收入中的占比在10%至20%之间。根据定义，公共援助仅对最低收入阶层重要。如第三节所指出的，在过去二十年中，这些收入来源的相对重要性发生了变化，该节还推测了它们未来的作用。第四节提出了改善五种收入保障机制的可能方法：在社会保障项下为女性提供更多儿童保育信贷，加强私人养老金计划的可转移性，使个人退休账户对退休目的而言更易获得且更有意义，增强成年人就业的作用，以及提高补充保障收入以消除贫困。本章最后强调，如果没有可获得且资金充足的医疗保健，很少有人会对自己的现有收入感到经济上有保障。
