New GAO Reports: Nation's Long-Term Fiscal Outlook, U.S. Coins
The Nation's Long-Term Fiscal Outlook: January 2008 Update, GAO-08-591R, March 21, 2008: "Our updated simulations continue to illustrate that the long-term fiscal outlook is unsustainable. Despite a 3-year decline in the unified budget deficit, the federal government still faces large and growing structural deficits driven primarily by rising health care costs and known demographic trends. Last month, a baby boomer claimed Social Security retirement benefits for the first time, and this cohort will be eligible for Medicare benefits in less than 3 years. According to the Social Security Administration nearly 80 million Americans will become eligible for Social Security retirement benefits over the next two decades--an average of more than 10,000 per day. Although Social Security is important because of its size, the real driver of the long-term fiscal outlook is health care spending. Medicare and Medicaid are both large and projected to continue growing rapidly in the future."
U.S. Coins: The Federal Reserve Banks Are Fulfilling Coin Demand, but Optimal Inventory Ranges Are Undefined, GAO-08-401, March 21, 2008
New GAO Reports: Nation's Long-Term Fiscal Outlook, U.S. Coins
