Social Security and Medicare are currently at the center of an intensely politicized national debate. What is needed is the informed and thoughtful consideration of these programs and their role in the lives of past, current, and future generations of Americans that our guest editor and distinguished authors provide in this issue. Here is a look at how the programs work, how they compare to systems in other industrialized countries, policy issues and options, the politics of social insurance, implementing the new Medicare legislation, and common myths and realities. Will these astonishingly successful programs be there for future generations? What are the implications for real life, real people, and the American dream?