Advance Health Care Decisions

Powers of Attorney

Wills, Trusts, Estates

Guardianships

Medicare, Health Insurance

Medicaid in Nursing Homes

Long Term Care Financing

Social Security

Income Assistance

Nursing Home Issues

Other Consumer Issues:

9. Other Resources

Statutes

The original Social Security Act required only a few pages. It has been amended numerous times, with twenty-one titles enacted at one time or another. At present the Act contains eighteen active Titles, the four most extensive being OASDI, SSI, Medicare and Medicaid, plus another fairly extensive Title on Temporary Assistance to Needy Families.

OASDI. The statutory basis for Federal Old-Age. Retirement and Disability Insurance Benefits (OASDI) is 42 U.S.C. § 401 et seq., also cited to Title II of the Social Security Act. Thus the first paragraph of the Act could be cited either as 42 U.S.C. § 401(a) or as Social Security Act § 201(a).

SSI, Medicare and Medicaid. The amendments that introduced Supplemental Security Income are Title XVI of the Act (42 U.S.C. § 1382); Medicare is Title XVIII of the Act (42 U.S.C. § 1395); and Medicaid is Title XIX (42 U.S.C. § 1396).

Books

Social Security laws have changed since the first two books were published. There have been a few dramatic changes and some figures change annually. These books remain good sources of general information about Social Security and other matters of interest to seniors.

ABA Legal Guide for Older Americans, by Charles P. Sabatino and others, © American Bar Association, 1998, pub. Times Books; may still be ordered by local bookstores and from the publisher, about $13.00.

Elder Law in a Nutshell, by Lawrence A. Frolik and Richard L. Kaplan; pub. West Publishing Company,1999. Available through law school bookstores and from the publisher at modest cost.

Mercer Guide to Social Security and Medicare, by J. Robert Treanor, Dale R. Detlefs and Robert J. Myers; pub. William M. Mercer, updated annually. A detailed summary of the program with charts and examples; can be ordered by local bookstores for $12.95.

Some web sites for a range of views and information about the debate:

www.aarp.org AARP, Washington
www.concordcoalition.org The Concord Coalition, Washington.
www.heritage.org The Heritage Foundation, Washington.
www.iwpr.org Institute for Women’s Policy Research, Washington.
www.mrrc.isr.umich.edu Michigan Retirement Research Center
www.nasi.org National Academy of Social Insurance, Washington
www.socialsecurity.org The Cato Institute, Washington
www.tcf.org The Century Foundation, New York

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