"In his book White discusses the rationale for "social insurance" programs such as Social Security and Medicare and how it relates to fears of out-of-control "entitlements." He looks at important disagreements about how the programs currently work and how their financing relates to the federal budget as a whole. He argues that changing demographics do pose challenges but that both equity and the economy would be better served by incremental reforms that preserve the programs' basic structure than by more radical proposals." "White's foremost contribution is to cut through the thicket of political rhetoric and fuzzy thinking in a book that goes to the heart of the choices that must now be addressed and demonstrates that there are a number of reasonable options available. In the process, White subjects the most prominent proposals for reform - including his own - to a level of scrutiny that will benefit all readers who care about the future of these programs."--Jacket.