Do you know people who really rely on Soc Sec/Medicare/ or Medicaid? Are they family?

[uihawk82]

So you believe humans are stuffing envelopes and licking stamps? 🤡😂🦄

I asked to hear your plan but you are without plans like the Dumpster.

Geezus, I worked for a fulfillment company that had high speed letter stuffers, letter openers, usps laser sorters, so your reply is stupid.

Ok , you are only a troller with nothing of any value to post.

 

[uihawk82]

So you believe humans are stuffing envelopes and licking stamps? 🤡😂🦄

I aint seeing your stupid stuff anymore

 

[SeaPA]

Is anyone proposing that payments get cut off to existing recipients?

It is a simple fact that it will happen if Congress and the President do not take action in the relatively near future. Without changes, funding becomes insufficient in 2034, and as the law is written everyone's benefits will be cut by about 20%. No means testing, no "cut in the future but leave alone those who are already drawing."

There are some relatively easy things that would ure the ills for 60 years, if our elected officials would have the courage to do them.

 

[artradley]

If you do about how many people? Do they really rely on those checks and medical coverage? Are they family?

My wife and I are retired; we get our Soc Sec checks; we are on Medicare Advantage med insurance plans: we have saved and have retirement money but we dont get into that money very much and live fine and do the things we want to.

But Soc Sec for instance is a very well run admin and agency. About 60,000 employees who get the checks etc to 71 million people each month. That is great work. And if Gramma Sue dies and her daughter continues to collect her check then the daughter is the scofflaw but not Soc Sec.

Same with Medicare, they have a very low adminstrative budget, about 3% compared to 30% for the high salaries at private insurance companies which is why that insurance is so expensive.

But if you friends and family dont get their checks and benefits, even though the money is theirs that they paid into the trust funds, tell us how you will feel? What will you do?

I am ready to march, protest, etc. We had tear gas cannisters shot at us in the late 60' and early 70's and we can do it again.

My mother’s only income is Social Security. Her husband had a pension, but he opted for the higher payment that ended when he died.

 

[5545]

It is a simple fact that it will happen if Congress and the President do not take action in the relatively near future. Without changes, funding becomes insufficient in 2034, and as the law is written everyone's benefits will be cut by about 20%. No means testing, no "cut in the future but leave alone those who are already drawing."

There are some relatively easy things that would ure the ills for 60 years, if our elected officials would have the courage to do them.

I get that. Move the eligibility age back over time and the problem goes away.

 

[SeaPA]

I get that. Move the eligibility age back over time and the problem goes away.

That would help, but only delays the problem for a short time. Removing the cap on earnings subject to tax is a far more effective solution.

 

[uihawk82]

I get that. Move the eligibility age back over time and the problem goes away.

That is one of several ways to bolster SS. But I think the two better ones than delaying benefits which is at age 67 now is to raise the ceiling on wages being taxed for SS and Medicare. Right now that ceiling is about $165000 but just raise it to 1/2 million to a million. Those really high earners are not going to miss it.

And the other method is to put in means testing in place. They could legislate that as a retired persons net worth reaches certain levels their benefits gets reduced and for very rich people they are not issued benefits, but they are still owed them in case their net worth circumstances change. I mean does someone with $5 million net worth need $30,000 a year in SS?

 

[HawkeyeHitman]

It’s coming.. promise. It’s coming…. This is a Republican “wet dream come true” ever since Social Security's inception in the 1930’s. Republicans hate government programs that work .

No we hate leeches like yourself who never paid anything in.

 

[goldmom]

Goldmom I have done the math on here multiple times. There are only two long term solutions: either we have to cut benefits or we have to raise taxes. There is no other path. There is not enough money in the rest of the entire federal budget to balance the budget, including military spending.

The math is VERY clear. So the entitlement items are at risk unless y’all want to raise taxes somehow. This is why I keep saying we have to look at the estate tax. For 99.9% of people that will be the least impactful way to raise revenue.

The salary cap is the area I think should be raised. More people are making more money and should pay into the system.
Estate taxes are unreliable because there are so many “escape routes” for getting around them. Trusts, etc.
And they impact less wealthy families “unevenly” for lack of a better term (like family farms).
The option to take reduced benefits early is another area to look at because so many are working longer now. Waiting til 70 is a great option if you can do that because you max out.
Tweaking the system at both ends is worth looking at IMO.

 

[Hawk_82]

My mother’s only income is Social Security. Her husband had a pension, but he opted for the higher payment that ended when he died.

Sounds like your moms husband screwed her. You should be mad at him.

 

[Gimmered]

I’m on SSI and Medicare but I also have other income sources which I earned.
I’m not “rich” but I can pay my bills and keep my lights on.
I know that some have a real struggle and it’s a serious shame.
I do not believe for a minute that benefits will be cut though. There are solutions and Congress just needs the will to make it happen.

SSI is for low income. Social Security is for the retired.

 

[Gimmered]

Is anyone proposing that payments get cut off to existing recipients?

It is going to happen because nothing is being done to prevent it. That's the problem.

 

[bcherod]

Run so well they couldnt run basic data checks to identify millions, obviously dead due to excessive age, in this supposed well run system.

There’s a thing called the SS Death Index. So for example, my grandmother is I. That database. It’s used for genealogy purposes.

The idiots finding the millions of dead people getting SS have confused the database. Of course, they probably don’t understand that the records on dead people are just that, records on dead people.

 

[Gimmered]

Goldmom I have done the math on here multiple times. There are only two long term solutions: either we have to cut benefits or we have to raise taxes. There is no other path. There is not enough money in the rest of the entire federal budget to balance the budget, including military spending.

The math is VERY clear. So the entitlement items are at risk unless y’all want to raise taxes somehow. This is why I keep saying we have to look at the estate tax. For 99.9% of people that will be the least impactful way to raise revenue.

We need to eliminate the SS tax cap. We only tax the first $176,000. Eliminate the tax cap and we solve the majority of the upcoming shortfall.

 

[Gimmered]

I get that. Move the eligibility age back over time and the problem goes away.

No, it doesn't.

 

[bcherod]

My mother’s only income is Social Security. Her husband had a pension, but he opted for the higher payment that ended when he died.

Sadly, that was the case for my parents as well. My father died 5 years before my mother, and it was really hard for her during the remainder of her life.

 

[ft254]

I guess you did not hear that Elon was pointed fact checked about this stupid thing he said in his oval office meeting with Trump. Elon and his little boys were not smart enough to learn ahead of time or realise that SS puts in birthdates like 1875 and the number 150 in the age field as codes that these people are not getting benefits.

Elon's respones to this if you didnt see him, he said "well I am going to make mistakes" The guy is a spectrum retard and you are groveling at his feet.

Where does most SS and Medicare fraud come from? it is people outside of those agencies committing fraud. I said 40 years ago it would be so easy to stop those durable medical equipment scammers from doing business by making them post a million dollar bond for a year before they could do business with Medicare. How many crooks would do that? not many

I heard or read President Rasputin earns or makes 6 million per day. Fine. Good for him.

I also heard the average SS recipient receives 85 dollars per day. I have no idea if this is correct. My retirement is pension based so I don't keep up with SS stuff.

However, like the whole separation from reality. Rasputin has no concept of how his hammer down methods effect people, and for that matter his ignorance of how governmental agencies work

Everything is transactional and impulsive. It's like no thought is put into the problems before the solution are announced. This has been a very unprofessional and spontaneous project which will be challenged successfully in courts, results reversed it remains to be seen what corrective actions can possibly right the ship.

If the Justice Department, which will mean the SCOTUS will remain true to its purpose and hold Orange Turd and President Rasputin accountable, it will have to settle the most severe test it has faced in our nation's history. We knew the Orange Turd was going to spring something on the country. We couldn't have anticipated anything this extreme. Hell, the Orange Turd isn't smart enough to know how serious the problems he's created.

 

[Gimmered]

Sadly, that was the case for my parents as well. My father died 5 years before my mother, and it was really hard for her during the remainder of her life.

My dad opted for a 50% annuity for my mom but it didn't amount to anything anyway. I'll retire in a year or two and will opt for 100% for my wife. She's younger than I am by nearly 8 years so it makes the most sense.

 

[luvmyhawks]

That would help, but only delays the problem for a short time. Removing the cap on earnings subject to tax is a far more effective solution.

The salary cap is the area I think should be raised. More people are making more money and should pay into the system.
Estate taxes are unreliable because there are so many “escape routes” for getting around them. Trusts, etc.
And they impact less wealthy families “unevenly” for lack of a better term (like family farms).
The option to take reduced benefits early is another area to look at because so many are working longer now. Waiting til 70 is a great option if you can do that because you max out.
Tweaking the system at both ends is worth looking at IMO.

We need to eliminate the SS tax cap. We only tax the first %176,000. Eliminate the tax cap and we solve the majority of the upcoming shortfall.

Honest question because this is a necessary conversation, but for those of you proposing to simply raise or eliminate the income cap, are you also capping the benefit? The current max benefit at FRA right now is just over 4k per month. You keeping that benefit the same while increasing their tax? I’m not so sure about that.

 

[Gimmered]

Honest question because this is a necessary conversation, but for those of you proposing to simply raise or eliminate the income cap, are you also capping the benefit? The current max benefit at FRA right now is just over 4k per month. You keeping that benefit the same while increasing their tax? I’m not so sure about that.

Yes, the point is to preserve Social Security. If more people actually understood the cliff we are headed for they would be screaming bloody murder. We already tax Medicare this way, How is Social Security different?

 

[luvmyhawks]

That is one of several ways to bolster SS. But I think the two better ones than delaying benefits which is at age 67 now is to raise the ceiling on wages being taxed for SS and Medicare. Right now that ceiling is about $165000 but just raise it to 1/2 million to a million. Those really high earners are not going to miss it.

And the other method is to put in means testing in place. They could legislate that as a retired persons net worth reaches certain levels their benefits gets reduced and for very rich people they are not issued benefits, but they are still owed them in case their net worth circumstances change. I mean does someone with $5 million net worth need $30,000 a year in SS?

There are several comments in this post that are… just flat out wrong. First and foremost, the income limit on Medicare taxes? That doesn’t exist. In fact, if you make over 200k per year, your Medicare taxes go up. You are aware of this, correct?

Second. You seriously think those “high earners” making between 165-250k aren’t going to miss those extra taxes? You serious?

And, means testing?? Really?

 

[luvmyhawks]

Yes, the point is to preserve Social Security. If more people actually understood the cliff we are headed for they would be screaming bloody murder. We already tax Medicare this way, How is Social Security different?

Kudos to you for understanding how Medicare is truly taxed. I’m not sure social security is different. That’s kind of why I asked the question. So, you think it is ok to continue to tax individuals 6.2% and their employers 6.2% on their income and not pay them a higher benefit if they make over 168k? I sure as heck don’t think that is ok at all.

 

[joelbc1]

That is one of several ways to bolster SS. But I think the two better ones than delaying benefits which is at age 67 now is to raise the ceiling on wages being taxed for SS and Medicare. Right now that ceiling is about $165000 but just raise it to 1/2 million to a million. Those really high earners are not going to miss it.

And the other method is to put in means testing in place. They could legislate that as a retired persons net worth reaches certain levels their benefits gets reduced and for very rich people they are not issued benefits, but they are still owed them in case their net worth circumstances change. I mean does someone with $5 million net worth need $30,000 a year in SS?

As long as this “means testing” is subject to inflation testing controls.

 

[Uniformed_ReRe]

Almost everyone I know over 65 depends on SS.

 

[EasyHawk]

We are powers of attorney for my BIL who is not even 60 but has early onset frontal lobe dementia and bad heart problems. He is on disability and ACA medical insurance (initially he was on Medicaid but his income from disability was too high so he lost that), however in a couple months he will hit 24 straight months on disability so will qualify for Medicare. His wife bailed and he has a daughter in high school and one in college that live with her. He can’t drive or cook or do any yard work or pay bills. Asks the same questions over and over and sleeps a lot. It’s a lot getting him to heart and neurological appointments and paying his bills.

 

[5545]

That would help, but only delays the problem for a short time. Removing the cap on earnings subject to tax is a far more effective solution.

If the age keeps moving back, the problem goes away. The original intent of the program wasn't to fund retirement for 30 years. It should protect the elderly from dire poverty. It is absurd that I can start collecting money from the next generations at age 62.

Raising the cap is another option, but the program overall is already very progressive. At some point it just becomes another form of welfare.

 

[5545]

It is going to happen because nothing is being done to prevent it. That's the problem.

I agree. OP seemed to be screaming about an imminent threat.

 

[h-hawk]

Run so well they couldnt run basic data checks to identify millions, obviously dead due to excessive age, in this supposed well run system.

Make them prove these claims-I bet it is mostly the bombastic BS said to please trump.

 

[win1forthe]

We are powers of attorney for my BIL who I not even 60 but has early onset frontal lobe dementia and bad heart problems. He is on disability and ACA medical insurance (initially he was on Medicaid but his income from disability was too high so he lost that), however in a couple months he will hit 24 straight months on disability so will qualify for Medicare. His wife bailed and he has a daughter in high school and one in college that live with her. He can’t drive or cook or do any yard work or pay bills. Asks the same questions over and over and sleeps a lot. It’s a lot getting him to heart and neurological appointments and paying his bills.

I am sorry to hear about this. It is very hard to be the caregiver. I have a very familiar situation in my family. Living day to day in this scenario is very challenging for everyone.

 

[Capital1Hawk]

If you do about how many people? Do they really rely on those checks and medical coverage? Are they family?

My wife and I are retired; we get our Soc Sec checks; we are on Medicare Advantage med insurance plans: we have saved and have retirement money but we dont get into that money very much and live fine and do the things we want to.

But Soc Sec for instance is a very well run admin and agency. About 60,000 employees who get the checks etc to 71 million people each month. That is great work. And if Gramma Sue dies and her daughter continues to collect her check then the daughter is the scofflaw but not Soc Sec.

Same with Medicare, they have a very low adminstrative budget, about 3% compared to 30% for the high salaries at private insurance companies which is why that insurance is so expensive.

But if you friends and family dont get their checks and benefits, even though the money is theirs that they paid into the trust funds, tell us how you will feel? What will you do?

I am ready to march, protest, etc. We had tear gas cannisters shot at us in the late 60' and early 70's and we can do it again.

Is this a joke, SS is not a well run agency? So much can be automated now and data analytics like DOGE is doing and can catch large errors and then dive into the details to correct these errors. You can do more with less. I read that there is a Fed/state employee ratio of 1 to every 13 citizens. That seems way too high to me. There is so much redundancy in govt at all levels. These govt employees can go work in the private sector and make a living. Back when we were recruited out of college there was a reason why the lower level students took the govt jobs and not seeked out by the private sector.

 

[HawkeyeHitman]

Almost everyone I know over 65 depends on SS.

Everyone you know never worked a day in their life.

 

[Capital1Hawk]

Goldmom I have done the math on here multiple times. There are only two long term solutions: either we have to cut benefits or we have to raise taxes. There is no other path. There is not enough money in the rest of the entire federal budget to balance the budget, including military spending.

The math is VERY clear. So the entitlement items are at risk unless y’all want to raise taxes somehow. This is why I keep saying we have to look at the estate tax. For 99.9% of people that will be the least impactful way to raise revenue.

Agree with first paragraph but don't see estate tax as the solution. They will need to raise taxes to cover all the govt waste. They will do this with VAT tax but can't do it when inflation is high. We are only one of a few countries that don't have this and will like to do it as a hidden tax. They will start small but keep increasing b/c our govt has a spending problem!

 

[artradley]

Honest question because this is a necessary conversation, but for those of you proposing to simply raise or eliminate the income cap, are you also capping the benefit? The current max benefit at FRA right now is just over 4k per month. You keeping that benefit the same while increasing their tax? I’m not so sure about that.

Why not?

 

[artradley]

Is this a joke, SS is not a well run agency? So much can be automated now and data analytics like DOGE is doing and can catch large errors and then dive into the details to correct these errors. You can do more with less. I read that there is a Fed/state employee ratio of 1 to every 13 citizens. That seems way too high to me. There is so much redundancy in govt at all levels. These govt employees can go work in the private sector and make a living. Back when we were recruited out of college there was a reason why the lower level students took the govt jobs and not seeked out by the private sector.

That 1/13 probably includes military. Do you want to slash military personnel?

 

[Huey Grey]

Children should not be penalized for any money issues the parent(s) might have.

Then why do Republicans repeatedly punish these kids?

 

[EasyHawk]

I am sorry to hear about this. It is very hard to be the caregiver. I have a very familiar situation in my family. Living day to day in this scenario is very challenging for everyone.

Thank you, sorry hear about your similar situation. It has been way more than we anticipated. We both work full time and neither of us in the town he and we live. I mow two lawns now in that season and shovel two driveways in the winter. He lives in their deceased mom's house and we take meals, clean, do laundry, etc. His neurologist said he is ok with it as long as we are able to check in daily, but the time will come he will have to be in a facility. We are on a waiting list for one, but they said he would be the youngest person they have ever had, and if you mention it to him he gets really mad. It's been quite a couple years.

 

[hawkeyetraveler]

Agree with first paragraph but don't see estate tax as the solution. They will need to raise taxes to cover all the govt waste. They will do this with VAT tax but can't do it when inflation is high. We are only one of a few countries that don't have this and will like to do it as a hidden tax. They will start small but keep increasing b/c our govt has a spending problem!

One way or the other it has to get done. A VAT is inherently inflationary and somewhat regressive. plus as you point out we are still dealing with the after effects of Covid money printing so not sure when we could pull off a VAT without significant impact on prices.

Either way it will be painful on someone. I guess I prefer the pain not disproportionally hit the middle class/lower class.

 

[tumorboy]

Raise the cap. Reform SSD. Make it a yearly test for certain participants.

 

[Arbor1]

Reality bites.

 

[alaskanseminole]

Everybody thinks their favorite Govt Agency is not the one to be examined for fraud and abuse.

I don't have a favorite Govt Agency, BUT I'm willing to choose one if someone were...to say....maybe...START A POLL!

@Moral whatcha think? "What is your favorite Govt Agency" poll time?