Proposal
Entitlement reform by self-selection
Instead of cutting a single formula for everyone, the framework lets people choose. Electorate members keep Social Security and Medicare as they exist. Regular Citizens leave those programs, take no federal welfare, and take the one-time debt buyout.
Why the old-age programs dominate the problem
Social Security and Medicare are where long-run federal liability is concentrated. Trustee reports place OASI and Hospital Insurance depletion in the early-to-mid 2030s under current law.
Selection is the central risk
Medicare Advantage is the best large U.S. analogue of voluntary track choice: participation can exceed half of beneficiaries, and favorable selection changes the fiscal result. Any model of Regular Citizen opt-out must score the people who remain on the Electorate entitlement track, not only the average cost of those who leave.
No new welfare floor
The opt-out is an exit, not a substitute entitlement. Regular Citizens do not receive federal welfare. New Citizens do not either. Cash-transfer research remains relevant as background on household stability; it is not the current design of this track.