http://insurance.about.com/od/DisInc/a/Social-Security-Insolvent-In-2017.html
The economic downturn and slow recovery have caused numerous individuals to file a claim for federal disability benefits through Social Security's disability program with applications for benefit claims.
The run of disability applications, the federal governmment admits, is pushing the financially strapped system toward the brink of insolvency.
The lengthy recession has had a serious impact on disability applicaions. Claims for disability benefits typically increase in a bad economy because many disabled people get laid off and can't find a new job. This year, about 3.3 million people are expected to apply for federal disability benefits. That's 700,000 more than in 2008 and 1 million more than a decade ago.
Individuals who qualify for Social Security disability automatically get Medicare after two years, even if they are younger than 65, the age when other retirees qualify for the government-run health insurance program.
Today, about 13.6 million people receive disability benefits through Social Security or Supplemental Security Income. Social Security is for people with substantial work histories, and monthly disability payments average $927. Supplemental Security Income does not require a work history but it has strict limits on income and assets. Monthly SSI payments average $500.