Category: Social Security

Social Security benefits up 3.2 percent in 2024
The nearly 67 million people receiving the Social Security benefits they have earned will see their Social Security benefits increased by 3.2 percent in 2024 to offset the effects of inflation. It is imperative to understand that, though the nominal dollar amount a retiree receives will go up by an average of $59, this is not an increase. It is designed to help ensure that Social Security benefits do not erode over time, that beneficiaries tread water. Without it, they would drown.

The automatic inflation adjustment every January is one of Social Security’s most important features—not found in its private sector counterparts. The inflation offset is much needed. Many older adults, people with disabilities and all other people receiving Social Security have seen their costs increase significantly over the last year. For example, prescription drug prices for more than 1200 drugs rose an average of 15.2 percent between January 2022 and January 2023, way higher than inflation.

As important as the automatic inflation adjustment is, it undermeasures the inflation older adults and other people receiving Social Security experience. That is because the cost of living adjustment for Social Security is based on inflation experienced by workers, not by retirees and people with disabilities who are unable to work.

That index, the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W), was the only measure that the government produced in 1972, when Congress wisely decided to automatically adjust Social Security benefits every year to prevent their erosion. Because that measure was the only one available, that was the best Congress could do. It was better than nothing.

But workers and the public more generally have significantly different spending patterns from people receiving Social Security benefits and, therefore, experience significantly lower inflation. Older adults and people with disabilities spend more on health care, prescription medications, and long-term care—where prices continue to rise faster. They spend less on clothing, recreation, the latest technology, and other items—where prices tend to rise more slowly—than younger, healthier Americans. An accurate inflation adjustment is particularly important for women, Hispanics, and others who have longer life expectancies, on average.

Many members of Congress recognized the obvious shortcomings of the CPI-W when applied to Social Security. In 1987, our policymakers instructed the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) to produce an index measuring the cost of living of the elderly. In response, BLS developed the Consumer Price Index for the Elderly (CPI-E), but Congress has not yet applied it to Social Security. It’s long past time to fix that. If it had applied the CPI-E this year, Social Security benefits would have increased 4.2 percent.

CPI-E is part of President Joe Biden’s plan to update and expand Social Security. It is the right policy. According to numerous polls, it also represents the will of the people. It is included in numerous bills to protect and expand Social Security, pending in Congress or soon to be introduced. One of those bills is the Social Security 2100: A Sacred Trust Act, sponsored by Representative John Larson (D-CT), Chairman of the Social Security Subcommittee, and cosponsored by over 175 of his fellow Democrats.

As important as it is to update the measure, the truth is that Social Security’s underlying benefits are too low. Those benefits are modest by virtually any measure, yet they are vital.

A Gallup poll found that 89 percent of Americans receiving Social Security rely on it to cover their expenses. Three out of five people 55 and older rely on Social Security as their principal income. For one fourth of them, Social Security is virtually their only income. Our Social Security system lifts more than 21 million Americans—including over a million American children—out of poverty and lessens the depth of poverty of millions more.

As essential as Social Security is in good economic times, it has been even more so in economic downturns and other times of trouble. Unlike savings, one can’t outlive their Social Security. Indeed, in its nearly ninety-year history, Social Security has never missed a payment.

Fortunately, the president and the Democratic Party are championing the need to not only update the cost of living adjustment but also increase the underlying benefits. Unfortunately, no Republicans have, so far, either cosponsored one of the many pending bills that expand benefits and update the cost-of-living adjustment. Nor have they introduced their own.

In fact, Republican politicians in Congress seem bent on cutting Social Security, or worse, ending it as we know it. Republicans have advocated eliminating the ironclad guarantee of those earned benefits. Last year, for example, Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) released a plan to require an affirmative vote on Social Security and Medicare every five years for these vital institutions to continue. Not to be outdone, Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) wants to put Social Security and Medicare on the chopping block every year.

Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), who was Speaker of the House, took hostage the need to raise the debt limit. As ransom, he wanted cuts to “entitlements,” insider code for cuts to our Social Security and Medicare. He almost wrecked the national economy to get his way. The Republican Study Committee, which includes 70 percent of House Republicans, has proposed raising the retirement age and decimating middle class benefits.

Revealingly, when President Biden called them out at the State of the Union, these Republicans claimed he was lying. Having apparently learned to not be so direct in their plans, they are now pushing a behind-closed-doors commission, which would report a plan for Social Security right after the election. If established, its recommendations would have priority over other legislative business. They couldn’t be amended. Indeed, Congress would be required to vote on the commission’s recommendations right after the upcoming election, which would allow incumbents running for re-election to deny their support of drastic cuts to Americans’ earned benefits — and then vote for those highly unpopular and unwise cuts in the lame duck Congress.

Those who support Social Security should contact their representatives and urge them to oppose any commissions. Rather, they should support expanding Social Security and updating its cost-of-living adjustment.

After lifetimes of work, Americans have earned their Social Security. It is well past time they get a raise. Once Americans begin to receive their earned Social Security, they should be able to rely on the fact that those benefits will not erode as they age, but will maintain their purchasing power, even if they live to 100 or older.

Here’s more from Just Care:
October 19, 2023
Social Security benefits should rise around 9 percent in 2023
It is looking as if 2023 will bring some good news to the vast majority of people who rely on Social Security for all or a significant share of their retirement income. Paul Brandi reports for Marketwatch.com that Social Security benefits should increase by 9 percent or so in 2023. For a change, the increase in benefits–a monthly average of about $150–should cover people’s increased costs.

This year, the Social Security benefit increase was 5.9 percent. That was big, bigger than in a very long time. But, it was not big enough, since inflation turned out to be significantly higher than the increase. Consequently, Social Security recipients ended up with about 3 percent less, from an inflation-adjusted perspective, than they received the prior year.

Social Security increases are pegged to general cost of living increases, which usually are lower than cost of living increases for older adults. Older adults tend to spend a lot more on health care, and health care prices tend to rise more quickly than prices for other basic goods. As of now, however, likely because of negotiated rates pre-inflation, health care costs have not risen as much as other market basket items.

If you are still working and claiming Social Security or plan to start working again, the high inflation rate should help you a little. Social Security benefits are withheld for people who earn more than a certain amount. Because inflation is high, the amount you can earn without affecting your Social Security benefits is rising appreciably. In other words, you can earn more without losing Social Security income.

It’s also possible that if the Federal Reserve increases interest rates, inflation will come down some. If that happens after the Social Security Trustees lock in the increase in benefits for people receiving Social Security, they will end up ahead. But, if inflation comes down in August and September, the Social Security increase will also come down. The Social Security Administration calculates the increase based on the average of July, August and September inflation numbers.

Congress still needs to address the need for higher Social Security benefits and for strengthening the Social Security Trust Fund, which is now scheduled to pay out more than it has, beginning in 2034.

Here’s more from Just Care:
August 10, 2022
People with long Covid struggle to get disability benefits
Amanda Morris writes for the New York Times on the difficulty people with long-term side effects of Covid are facing getting disability benefits. People with “long Covid” can have serious health issues and might not be able to work. They need disability benefits, including health care and housing.

The issue is that the Social Security Administration wants proof of long-term disability in order to award benefits. But, the side effects of long Covid are not easy to prove. Often lab tests show that things look normal. People do not have specific medical evidence to support their claims for disability benefits.

President Biden, for his part, has promised “to make sure Americans with long Covid who have a disability have access to the rights and resources that are due under the disability law.” But, how is long Covid diagnosed without medical evidence? Moreover, to qualify for Social Security disability benefits you need to be able to show that you cannot work for at least a year.

An estimated three to ten million Americans could have long Covid, according to the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. These people are still getting care for several different medical conditions long after they were diagnosed with Covid-19.

To date, about 16,000 Americans have been able to prove that they have long Covid to the Social Security Administration. It’s early days, since it takes about five months for Social Security to make a disability determination. To make matters worse, the Trump Administration underfunded the Social Security Administration. President Biden has proposed that Congress allocate $1.3 billion additional dollars to it.

Today, about 9.5 million workers and their families receive Social Security disability benefits. Benefits tend to average $1,280 a month. People receiving Social Security disability benefits also qualify for Medicare.

Of course, if everyone in the US had Medicare, it would be a huge help to people with long Covid. These days, Medicare for all seems more like a dream. Instead, millions of Americans are living a nightmare.

Here’s more from Just Care:
November 3, 2021
Will Biden quickly replace Social Security leadership?
Union heads are leading the fight to install new leadership at the Social Security administration. They want Commissioner Andrew Saul and Deputy Commissioner David Black out on day one. How quickly will President Biden replace them?

The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) speaks for Social Security field office workers. The Association of Administrative Law Judges represents judges employed to make Social Security disability determinations. They say that neither the SSA Commissioner nor the Deputy Commissioner have any intention of either strengthening Social Security or supporting the reopening of its field offices post-pandemic.

Under the Trump administration, Social Security has granted disability benefits to one hundred thousand fewer people in the period between July and November 2020 than it did in that same period in 2019. It is estimated that, as a result, 230,000 individuals do not have access to SSI benefits, an average of $560 a month, or Medicaid.

The Social Security Administration has also put into effect a group of policies that undermine Social Security. It has weakened the power of union workers. It closed its 1,200 field offices during the pandemic but did not let most employees work from home. And, the unions allege it is violating labor laws.

McIntosh, president of the Association of Administrative Law Judges, said agency leadership has repeatedly violated federal labor laws in dealings with her union.

Leadership has directed salaried staff beholden to them, and not independent judges, to make disability determinations. There is no apparent Covid-19 plan in place and no plan in place for reopening the Social Security Field Offices and making them safe for workers and visitors.

Even though Saul and Black are political appointees, their term is not scheduled to end until 2025. That said, President Biden has the power to fire them for cause.

Here’s more from Just Care:
January 20, 2021
For the well-being of Americans, Democrats in Congress must unite to protect and expand Social Security
Alex Lawson, executive director of Social Security Works, makes the case in The Hill that Democrats who want to help Americans should follow president-elect Biden’s lead and call for protecting and expanding Social Security. Republicans, in sharp contrast, are working hard to undermine your retirement security. After the presidential election was called for Joe Biden, former Ohio governor John Kasich told CNN that Biden needs to be concerned about the debt, Social Security and Medicare.

Biden needs to focus on strengthening and expanding Social Security and Medicare, but that was not the point Kasich was making. He would like to eviscerate these national treasures. Social Security, as even Ronald Reagan knew, does not contribute to the deficit. Americans pay for it through our earned income. Americans overwhelmingly do not want the federal government cutting Social Security. If Republicans have any inclination to honor the will of the people, they would support expanding Social Security.

Still, Republicans have been advocating for cuts to Social Security for decades. Social Security is not contributing to the deficit, as they irresponsibly suggest. By repeating false messages, they have made inroads in persuading even some Democrats to advocate for cuts to Social Security.

Republicans have also succeeded at getting some Democrats to accept austerity measures, which harm the economy. After the Great Recession, the Democrats’ stimulus was way too small to restart the economy as needed.

Over the summer, President Trump froze Social Security’s funding mechanism temporarily, allowing Americans to defer payment of their Social Security contributions until 2021. Trump’s plan was to make permanent a cut to payroll tax contributions. Fortunately, President-elect Biden has oft-expressed his commitment to protecting Social Security.

As recently as October, Biden ran ads committing to protect people’s Social Security benefits. In mid-September, Biden ran ads promising to protect the “sacred promise” of Social Security. Biden promises to protect and expand Social Security.

Any Democratic member of Congress who wants to help Americans should be advocating for protecting and expanding Social Security. That’s how to win reelection. That’s how Biden won Michigan and Pennsylvania.

Here’s more from Just Care:
November 11, 2020
Social Security benefits will barely rise in 2021
Social Security is the primary income of three out of five beneficiaries aged 55 and older. This vital institution is virtually the only income of a third of them. Our Social Security system lifts more than 21 million Americans—including over a million American children—out of poverty and lessens the depth of poverty of millions more.

As essential as Social Security is in good economic times, it is even more so during the current pandemic and resulting economic collapse. Older adults and people with disabilities are most at risk from COVID-19. Eight out of ten COVID deaths in the United States have been people aged 65 or older. That’s over 175,000 deaths with that number sure to grow. Nursing home residents account for 40% of all COVID deaths—87,500 and growing.

“The Chief Actuary of the Social Security Administration has just announced that the automatic adjustment for 2021 will be only 1.3 percent, or an average of $20 a month. That would be inadequate in normal times, but these times are not normal.”

Because Social Security beneficiaries are so at risk, their modest benefits—which average less than $1,400 a month—are stretched even thinner in the pandemic. They must keep distance from others. To do so requires incurring costs for deliveries of medicine and food, as well as incurring medical costs for those who become sick.

One of Social Security’s most important features—not found in its private sector counterparts—is that all benefits are automatically adjusted every January to offset the effects of inflation. The Chief Actuary of the Social Security Administration has just announced that the automatic adjustment for 2021 will be only 1.3 percent, or an average of $20 a month. That would be inadequate in normal times, but these times are not normal.

Older adults, people with disabilities and all Social Security beneficiaries know that their costs have gone up more than 1.3 percent over the last year. They know that their prescription drug prices have gone up more than 1.3 percent. They know their out of pocket costs for doctors’ visits have gone up more than 1.3 percent. Indeed, the federal government’s Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services project that national health expenditures will increase an average 5.4 percent every year between 2019 and 2028.

Ask older adults whether their costs went up more than 1.3 percent and you will get a resounding yes. The problem is that Social Security undermeasures the inflation they experience. That is because the cost of living adjustment for Social Security is based on inflation experienced by workers, not by retirees and people with disabilities who are unable to work.

That index, the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W), was the only measure that the government produced in 1972, when Congress wisely decided to automatically adjust Social Security benefits every year to prevent their erosion. Because that measure was the only one available, that was the best Congress could do. It was better than nothing.

But workers and indeed the general public have significantly different spending patterns from Social Security beneficiaries and, therefore, experience significantly lower inflation. Older adults and people with disabilities spend more on health care and long-term care—where prices continue to rise faster. They spend less on clothing, recreation, and other items—where prices tend to rise more slowly—than younger, healthier Americans.

Many members of Congress recognized the obvious shortcomings of the CPI-W when applied to Social Security. In 1987, our policymakers instructed the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) to produce an index measuring the cost of living of the elderly. In response, BLS developed the Consumer Price Index for the Elderly (CPI-E), but Congress has not yet applied it to Social Security. It’s long past time to fix that.

That is exactly what the Democrats propose to do if they win in November. CPI-E is part of Joe Biden’s plan to update and expand Social Security. It is included in the Social Security 2100 Act, authored by Representative John Larson (D-Conn.), Chairman of the Social Security Subcommittee. Larson’s legislation is cosponsored by about 90 percent of his fellow Democrats. Indeed, every major Democratic bill to expand Social Security proposes to update the cost of living adjustment.

In recognition of how modest Social Security’s benefits are by virtually any measure, Democrats will expand them if they win. To be clear, substituting the CPI-E for the current CPI-W is not a benefit increase, but an update. It is a better measure to ensure that benefits will not erode over time. It is designed to allow beneficiaries can tread water, instead of sinking, as they now are.

An accurate adjustment is essential for everyone, but it is particularly important for women and Hispanics. The erosion of benefits from inadequate adjustments compounds over time and those two groups, on average, have the longest life expectancies.

It should be a bipartisan effort, but so far only Democrats have embraced the update. No Republicans have either cosponsored one of the many pending bills or introduced their own. But if Democrats win, Republicans will have to decide whether to support the efforts to expand Social Security or stand in the way.

Congress should also adopt the CPI-E for other federal programs for older adults and people with disabilities. These include military retirement benefits, veterans’ compensation, civil service retirement benefits and the Supplemental Security Income benefits, which also still use the CPI-W.

I have written elsewhere that Donald Trump and his Republican enablers in Congress present a clear and present danger to Social Security. In contrast, Joe Biden and the Democratic Party are squarely in favor of expanding Social Security and updating it to employ the CPI-E. This is the right policy. It also, according to numerous polls, represents the will of the people.

After lifetimes of work, Americans have earned their Social Security. It is well past time they get a raise. Once Americans begin to receive their earned Social Security, they should be able to rely on the fact that those benefits will not erode as they age, but will maintain their purchasing power, even if they live to 100 or older. That is one concrete gain Americans will achieve if Democrats win this November.

Here’s more from Just Care:
October 21, 2020
Coronavirus: Trump demands Social Security cut in next stimulus bill
Jake Johnson writes for Common Dreams about Trump’s plan to cut Social Security and Medicare. He is privately warning Republican members of Congress that he will not sign off on any new COVID-19 legislation that do not include cutting Social Security and Medicare payroll contributions. Republicans in the US US House of Representatives and Senate have signaled that they will do Trump’s bidding.

Nancy Altman, president of Social Security Works, explains that Trump and his fellow Republicans are “hostage-taking.” They are refusing to act to address the horrifying conditions in the US–the evictions that millions of Americans are facing, the lack of COVID-19 testing, the dearth of personal protective equipment for health care workers, the 57,000 nursing home deaths–unless Congress weakens Social Security.

Moreover, by the end of this week, 30 million Americans will lose the $600 a week additional unemployment benefit they received as a result of an earlier stimulus bill if Congress does not act immediately.

To be clear, the Republicans’ proposed cut in the payroll tax is of no benefit to people who are unemployed. And, it will be of little benefit to people whose hours of work have been reduced. The tax is only paid by working people. And, a cut is of little value in boosting the economy, now in a deep recession. Still, Trump said back in April that he “would love to see a payroll tax cut,” and “there are many people who would like to see it as a permanent tax cut.”

Of note, a payroll tax cut would be a huge windfall to employers, particularly the biggest employers in the US. Employers match people’s payroll contributions dollar for dollar. Senate and House Democrats oppose a payroll tax cut.

Because Senate Republicans are insisting on a payroll tax cut as part of the next stimulus legislation, it’s not at all clear that more stimulus money will pass in Congress. It is one of many big sticking points between Democrats and Republicans. Democrats also oppose protections from liability that Republicans want to give businesses. Other issues where there is not yet a meeting of the minds include whether Congress will continue to expand people’s unemployment benefits, how much aid cities and states will get, and the amount that Congress will give to support education.

Update: Both the House and Senate Republicans are including provisions of The Trust Act, which allows Republicans to slash Social Security behind closed doors and quickly, in their stimulus legislation.

Here’s more from Just Care:
July 22, 2020
Biden’s policy agenda benefits older adults far less than Sanders’
Mark Weisbrodt writes for MarketWatch about the divide between Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Bernie Sanders on Social Security and Medicare. Sanders commands more support from younger voters than Biden by a margin of 47 percent to 13 percent. Curiously, older adults lean Biden over Sanders by a margin of 25 percent to 11%, even though Sanders’ Social Security and Medicare reform proposals are far more beneficial to older adults than Biden’s.

Today, 27 million Americans live above the poverty line because of Social Security. Sanders has advocated to strengthen Social Security since he became a Senator in 1991. Biden has argued for cuts to Social Security since 1984 and as recently as 2013. Biden supported the chained CPI, which would have reduced Social Security benefits.
Only now, with a large cohort of Democrats behind raising Social Security benefits, does Biden support increasing Social Security benefits. But, Biden has historically failed to accept that Social Security can be strengthened easily. Sanders, in sharp contrast, has argued that Social Security can close a longterm and relatively small funding gap.

Older adults also may not realize how much Medicare for All would help them, expanding their benefits and lowering their out-of-pocket costs. Sanders’ Medicare for All bill would be a huge improvement over Medicare today, covering 100 percent of the cost of dental, hearing and vision care as well as long-term services and supports. The typical person with Medicare pays nearly $6,000 a year out-of-pocket for health care, almost 25 percent of average income. With Medicare for All, older adults and people with disabilities would have that money to spend on other things.

Vice President Biden does not plan on improving Medicare benefits at all. His health care plan focuses almost exclusively on helping people who get coverage through the state health exchanges under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). And, his health reform agenda does little to ensure people can afford the deductibles and coinsurance imposed by ACA plans, let alone to rein in costs.

Here’s more from Just Care:
March 11, 2020
Top Social Security questions and answers
The New York Times answered the top Social Security questions from its readers.

Question 1. Is Social Security in good financial shape?

Social Security is in good financial shape today and at least for another 15 years. By 2035, however, Social Security will face a shortfall. If Congress does not make changes, Social Security would be able to pay out only 80 percent of scheduled benefits. Congress can and always has made changes to keep it paying out full benefits.

There is good reason for Congress to act. According to Richard W. Johnson at the Urban Institute, unless Congress acts, another one-third of retirees could be pushed into poverty. Fortunately, there’s a bill in Congress, the Social Security 2100 Act that would strengthen Social Security over the long term. All it would take is increasing payroll tax rates by 0.1 percent a year through 2043 and applying payroll contributions to all earnings over $400,000.

In 1977, Congress intended for Social Security to cover 90 percent of people’s earned income. But, it now only covers 83 percent of wages. The average wage has not increased as quickly as wages above the Social Security cap, which is $132,900 today.

Question 2. How do Social Security spousal benefits work?

If you have been married for at least one year, you can claim a benefit as high as 50 percent of your partner’s benefit if your partner is claiming benefits. You can claim the benefit before your full retirement age, but it will be lower because you are claiming before your full retirement age.

Usually, you must file for your own benefit and your spousal benefit at the same time. Social Security will pay you your own benefit and your spousal benefit as well, but only if your personal benefit is less than half of your spouse’s benefit.

If you were born before 1954, you can file for a “restricted claim.” You would then get only your spousal benefit and you could continue to accrue retirement credits on your account until age 70.

You also get a survivor benefit if a spouse dies so long as you were married for at least nine months before your spouse died. This benefit is usually 100 percent of your former spouse’s benefit.

If you are divorced but had been married for at least 10 years and are now single, you can get a spousal or survivor benefit from your ex-spouse. If you get married again, you lose these benefits. You cannot get spousal or survivor’s benefits from your new partner unless you have been married a minimum of one year.

Spousal benefits apply to same-sex married couples.

Question 3. Will I get benefits for the rest of my life and will they be taxed?

Once you claim Social Security benefits, you will get them for the rest of your life, and they will be adjusted up a bit for inflation. They may be taxed if your gross income, nontaxable interest income and half your Social Security benefit are greater than $25,000 for an individual or $32,000 for a couple filing jointly.

If you file a federal income tax return as an individual and your combined income is above $34,000, as much as 85 percent of your benefits may be taxable. If your income is between $25,000 and $34,000, you may need to pay income tax on as much as 50 percent of your benefits.

If you file a federal income tax return as a married couple and your combined income is above $44,000, as much as 85 percent of your benefits may be taxable. If your combined income is between $32,000 and $44,000, you may have to pay income tax on as much as 50 percent of your benefits.

Here’s more from Just Care:
August 7, 2019
2019 Social Security benefits should rise, but checks may not
As a result of inflation, people on fixed incomes find that their incomes decline in value over time. One extremely important feature of Social Security is that its benefits are adjusted every year automatically to offset increases in inflation, so that the modest, but vital, benefits do not erode over time. It is important to understand that these adjustments are not increases. They are intended to simply allow people to tread water, to maintain their purchasing power.

Unfortunately, the government’s cost of living adjustment for Social Security is based on inflation experienced by workers and not by retirees and people with disabilities who are unable to work. Older people and people with disabilities have, on average, higher health care costs; those costs tend to rise considerably faster than overall inflation. For that and other reasons, Social Security beneficiaries generally experience higher costs of living than workers, so Social Security adjustments are often inappropriately low. Consequently, Social Security beneficiaries are not even treading water, but rather losing ground. Nevertheless, even inadequate adjustments are better than none.

The actual adjustment is not calculated until October, because it is based on the inflation rate of the third quarter of this year, which ends September 30, over the third quarter of last year. Nevertheless, Social Security’s actuaries project at the end of each year their best estimate of what it will be. For 2019, they have projected a cost of living adjustment of 2.4 percent, an average of about $32 more each month. In recent months, though, the rate of inflation has increased, mainly as the result of increased oil prices. Consequently, it looks like the adjustment might be higher than 2.5 percent – perhaps even as high as 3 percent.

That is good news for Social Security beneficiaries, many of whom have little or no other income. The bad news is that millions of people likely will not experience that full increase; some may not see any increase at all and others might see a decline in their overall income, as the result of rising health care costs.

Most people with Medicare who receive monthly Social Security benefits have their Medicare Part B premiums deducted directly from those Social Security payments. For these people, Congress has provided that the annual increase in the Medicare Part B premium must be no larger than the Social Security cost of living adjustment.

So, they can’t go below zero, and lose some of their Social Security benefits, but they can certainly see their cost of living adjustment go completely to health care costs. For those who do not have their Medicare premiums deducted automatically from their Social Security benefits, they can, indeed, lose even more ground.

According to the most recent Medicare Trustees Report, average costs for Medicare Part B, the part covering doctors’ bills, is estimated to increase by $327 in 2019. The average cost for Medicare Part D, insurance for prescription drug costs, is estimated to increase by $63. That is a total increase of $390. For those receiving a Social Security benefit of $15,000 – and tens of millions receive less than that — the adjustment will only add $375, if the 2019 Social Security adjustment is 2.5 percent.

This is unacceptable. After a lifetime of work, Americans should have enough guaranteed Social Security to maintain their standards of living. The solution is three-fold. First, Congress should enact a better, more accurate measure of inflation for people receiving Social Security benefits. In addition, benefits, which are modest, but vital, should be increased. Finally, Congress should improve Medicare by expanding it to cover such vital services as hearing aids, dental work, and vision care. Premiums, co-pays, and deductibles should be eliminated. And everyone should be covered. Improved Medicare for All will improve the nation’s health outcomes while costing a fraction of what we pay today.

It is long past time to enact a more accurate cost of living adjustment for Social Security, expand its benefits, improve Medicare, and extend it to everyone. That is profoundly wise policy. It also represents the views of the vast majority of us.

If you want Congress to expand Social Security, please sign this petition.

Here’s more from Just Care:
August 8, 2018