these highly successful programs. As a quick refresher-course, Social Security is a program we pay into with a percentage of our pay checks throughout our working lives, and withdraw from when we are of retirement age, disabled, or no longer able to work. It provides the elderly and disabled with a stipend and other modest benefits. Medicare has the same funding mechanism, and ensures access to medical care for people who are elderly, disabled, or otherwise unable to earn enough to pay for health coverage. Obama's plans for protecting retirement security are fairly straightforward and boil down to protecting these programs against conservative encroachments. 23. Protecting Social Security. We've all paid into the system for all of our working lives, and we all have every right to assume Social Security will be there for us throughout the foreseeable future. 24. Protecting Medicare. Continue to ensure health coverage and access to basic healthcare for social security recipients, disabled people, and children without other health coverage. The New Economic Patriotism: A Look At Obama's 27-Point Economic Plan This is PART 2 (Small businesses, education, deficit, healthcare, and social security) | If you missed the first part , please click HERE to read PART 1 (Manufacturing and energy)