Every month, nearly 63 million people bring home a traditional Social Security benefit check. By “traditional,” I mean as an eligible retired worker, a survivor of a deceased worker, or as a long-term disabled worker. Of these close to 63 million beneficiaries, an estimated 22.1 million are kept out of poverty as a direct result of their monthly check. Social Security is simply that important.
But what you may have overlooked is that far more people are covered by this program than you realize. In addition to making monthly payouts to tens of millions of beneficiaries, approximately 175 million workers and their immediate families are afforded protections by America’s most important social program. Data from the Social Security Administration (SSA) pegs long-term disability protection at 90% of the current workforce between ages of 21 and 64, while 96% of the workforce between 20 and 49 have survivors insurance protection in place for their spouse and/or young children. See more at The Motley Fool: https://www.fool.com/retirement/2019/02/25/5-groups-of-people-that-will-never-receive-a-socia.aspx