National Academy of Social Insurance

National Academy of Social Insurance
Name	National Academy of Social Insurance
Formation	1986
Type	Learned society
Headquarters	Washington, D.C.
Location	United States
Leader title	President

Contents

National Academy of Social Insurance is a nonprofit scholarly organization that brings together scholars, former policymakers, and practitioners to study public social insurance programs and related public policies. It convenes experts from institutions such as Harvard University, Columbia University, University of Michigan, University of Pennsylvania, and Stanford University alongside leaders from Social Security Administration, Medicare, Medicaid, and international bodies like the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Its work intersects with topics addressed by actors including the U.S. Congress, the White House, the Brookings Institution, the Urban Institute, and the American Enterprise Institute.

History

Founded in 1986, the organization was established by a group of scholars and public officials with ties to institutions like Johns Hopkins University, University of California, Berkeley, Princeton University, Yale University, and Georgetown University. Early trustees and supporters included figures connected to the Social Security Amendments of 1983, the Medicare Catastrophic Coverage Act of 1988, and policymakers from the Clinton administration and the Reagan administration. Over decades it has engaged with commissions and panels related to the National Commission on Social Security Reform, the Kennedy School of Government, and the Bipartisan Policy Center. The Academy’s institutional history intersects with policy debates involving the Senate Finance Committee, the House Ways and Means Committee, the National Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Medicine, and the National Research Council.

The Academy publishes reports, white papers, and briefing notes drawing on scholars affiliated with Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cornell University, Brown University, Duke University, Northwestern University, University of Chicago, University of California, Los Angeles, Michigan State University, Ohio State University, and Texas A&M University. Research topics have included program solvency analyses similar to work by the Social Security Trustees, benefit design studies paralleling Congressional Budget Office reports, evaluations comparable to studies from HEALTH Affairs contributors, and comparative work referencing World Bank and International Labour Organization analyses. Publications often cite methodologies used in reports from National Bureau of Economic Research, American Statistical Association, and Institute for Fiscal Studies (United Kingdom) researchers.

The Academy informs legislative and administrative deliberations involving the U.S. Senate, the U.S. House of Representatives, the Executive Office of the President, and policy actors such as the Heritage Foundation, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, and the Economic Policy Institute. It has provided testimony or briefings to committees including the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions and the House Committee on Ways and Means and contributed to dialogues alongside organizations like AARP, American Medical Association, National Governors Association, Council of State Governments, and State Health Access Data Assistance Center. Its advocacy is primarily evidence-based, interacting with stakeholder groups such as Service Employees International Union, Chamber of Commerce, National Academy of Medicine, and American Public Health Association.

The Academy convenes annual conferences, symposia, and workshops in venues including facilities associated with National Press Club, Smithsonian Institution, Library of Congress, Kennedy Center, and university campuses like Harvard Kennedy School and Georgetown University. Events feature speakers from institutions such as the World Health Organization, International Monetary Fund, European Commission, Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, Canadian Institute for Health Information, and academic presenters from London School of Economics, University of Toronto, Australian National University, and University of Oxford. Educational programs include seminars for staff from congressional offices, state agencies, and nonprofit organizations including AARP Foundation and National Association of Insurance Commissioners.

Funding comes from philanthropic organizations and foundations such as the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Annenberg Foundation, the Heising-Simons Foundation, and corporate or institutional grants from universities and research centers including Harvard University, Columbia University, and the Brookings Institution. Partnerships extend to international agencies like the World Bank, International Labour Organization, Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, and bilateral partners such as the United Kingdom Department for Work and Pensions and the Canadian Ministry of Health. Collaborative projects have engaged with state agencies, advocacy organizations like AARP, labor organizations such as the AFL–CIO, and healthcare groups including the American Hospital Association.