Senator Warren and the Retirement Crisis
It’s not very often a speech in Congress is so dead-on that we share it, in its entirety, here. Yesterday’s speech by Senator Elizabeth Warren on America’s retirement crisis is a notable exception. We highly recommend you give it a view:
Activists Stage White House Demonstration to End Chained CPI Proposal
Cuts to Social Security Will Hurt Seniors, Veterans, People with Disabilities and Children; Shackle Recovering Economy
While some in Washington may have given up on a so-called “grand bargain,” many others including the White House, have left benefit cuts to millions of seniors, veterans and people with disabilities on the budget bargaining table. Contrary to claims by Chained CPI proponents, this change to the annual COLA calculation is not a “technical tweak” but a benefit cut for the oldest and most vulnerable Americans who would be least able to afford it. Additionally, recent research by the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare Foundation, in consultation with economist Dean Baker, shows that adoption of the Chained CPI could cut $31 billion in economic output and more than 200,000 jobs nationwide.
Activists from the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, AARP, NOW, Paralyzed Veterans of America, Generations United, NARFE, Social Security Works and other advocacy groups converged on the White House to tell President Obama “No” to the chained CPI. Protestors with signs illustrating the negative economic impact in each of the nation’s 50 states plus Washington, D.C. rallied along Pennsylvania Avenue and were joined by Rep. Keith Ellison (MN-5) and Rep. Mark Pocan (WI-2).
“The coalition here today is diverse, strong and unified in our opposition to Social Security benefit cuts like those that would come with the Chained CPI. Groups here today represent not just seniors but also young people, veterans, civilians, people with disabilities and middle class families. We’re all here together to say the negative impact of the Chained CPI should not be ignored or trivialized any longer. The White House and others have said this benefit cut is nothing more than a “technical tweak,”…but the truth is it would be a benefit cut imposed on the oldest and most vulnerable Americans who would be least able to afford it.” Max Richtman, NCPSSM President/CEO
Here’s a video of activists rallying at the White House.
Do You “Know Your Rights”?
New Education Campaign Informs LGBT Community about Their New Social Security Benefits Eligibility
Hundreds of Northern California same-sex spouses, and elder lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans attended the nation’s first “Know Your Rights” education sessions sponsored by NCPSSM’s foundation and our local partners. The events provided participants vital information about Social Security benefits now available thanks to the Supreme Court’s June 2013 Windsor ruling in the Defense of Marriage Act.
For the first time in its long history, the Social Security Administration is providing benefits to same sex married couples which has important financial implications for millions of LGBT Americans. The “Know Your Rights” campaign’s goal is to ensure LGBT Americans understand their rights to benefits.
“ ‘Know Your Rights’ is the first outreach program of its kind in the nation and a model for an education campaign potentially reaching millions of LGBT Americans from coast to coast.
The National Committee Foundation is proud to lead this campaign because it’s vital that we get the word out to the LGBT community so that they can begin the process of filing for benefits with the Social Security Administration.”…Carroll L. Estes, Ph.D., National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare Foundation Board Chair
“We were honored to offer a launch pad for the National Committee Foundation’s critically important efforts to help make the Supreme Court’s historic decision effective by expanding the principles of social justice and equal treatment to Social Security. Over the coming years, millions of same-sex couples will get the federal benefits they have earned, and the human respect they deserve.”…Dr. Thomas Peters, President & CEO, Marin Community Foundation
With the support of a lead grant from the Marin Community Foundation, the Northern California sessions included panel discussions with the Social Security Administration, legal experts, and seniors’ and LGBT advocates. The outreach sessions in Marin, San Francisco and Sonoma Counties were coordinated with local partners, Spectrum LGBT Center and Openhouse.
“With marriage for same-sex couples now recognized by one third of the states and the federal government, more and more LGBT Americans have access to benefits and responsibilities we have not had to consider before,” said Openhouse Executive Director Seth Kilbourn. “For older same-sex couples, Social Security benefits are particularly important. These kinds of town hall meetings provide critical information about what these benefits mean for LGBT families and how to access them. The “Know Your Rights” outreach effort is a great model that brings the LGBT community together with local leaders and national partners to talk about these issues and begin the dialogue.”
“The Social Security Town Halls give LGBT Americans – and LGBT older adults in particular – an opportunity to learn about federal benefits previously denied to them because of the discriminatory policy of offering only married, heterosexual couples and their families this critical financial benefit. It is through robust education and outreach that we will reach these people – so used to being excluded from the system – and encourage them to apply.” Paula Pilecki, Spectrum LGBT Center Executive Director
Before the DOMA ruling, a child whose same-sex parent died forfeited as much as $15,000 each year in survivor income, totaling $256,000 before he/she reached age 18. There are an estimated quarter million children being raised by same-sex couples who can now qualify for Social Security survivors benefits. When it comes to retirement, same-sex spouses lost, on average, more than $8,000 each year in earned spousal retirement benefits because their marriage was not recognized by the federal government. The Social Security Administration has urged the LGBT community to file for benefits now, even as new regulations are being finalized.
California, with the largest LGBT population in the country and the largest number of Social Security beneficiaries, was the logical choice for the first series of educational forums and sets the stage for a nationwide outreach effort. You can find more information on the “Know Your Rights” campaign on our foundation’s website.
A $19 COLA Hike Too Generous?
Only in Washington would you see folks who actually believe that today’s announcement of a 1.5% COLA hike (three out of five years it’s been less than 2%) is too generous. This tiny COLA increase means that millions of seniors who rely on their Social Security for the basics like fuel, groceries and medical bills will once again find their expenses outpacing their Social Security benefit. For the average senior, this COLA will mean about a $19 monthly increase, which incredibly some in Washington consider too generous.
“Seniors know all to well, their living costs often outpace the COLA increase and a 1.5% increase is anything but too generous. Proponents of a stingier COLA formula claim the Chained CPI is more accurate; however, in truth it is a benefit cut for millions of current and future retirees, veterans, people with disabilities and their families. Replacing the current COLA formula with the chained CPI will mean the typical 65 year-old, who filed for benefits at 62, would lose about $130 per year in benefits. By the time that senior reaches 95, the annual benefit cut will be almost $1,400, which is a 9.2 percent cut.
Given that the average senior currently receives just over $14,000 a year in Social Security, it’s hard to imagine how anyone can argue the COLA should be cut.. Yet this is exactly what has been proposed by the White House and in budget negotiations on Capitol Hill. The American people don’t support cutting Social Security to balance the budget and this annual COLA announcement should remind Washington why adopting the chained CPI is not only bad policy, it’s also bad politics.”…Max Richtman, NCPSSM President/CEO
There is a better way as our President/CEO, Max Richtman, has reported:
The BLS acknowledges the current CPI-W does not “produce official estimates for the rate of inflation experienced by subgroups of the population, such as the elderly or the poor. This is why we need a true elderly index like the CPI-E and not a formula change that will cut benefits and drive more seniors into poverty. A provision in Senator Bernie Sanders’s bill to reauthorize the Older Americans Act (S. 1028) would require the BLS improve the CPI-E and should be adopted by this Congress without any further delay.
Social Security, Medicare and Budget Conferees
Tomorrow, the newly appointed budget conferees meet for the first time to hammer out a budget deal conservatives hope will include benefit cuts to Social Security and Medicare. In spite of the fact that budget cuts have already paid for nearly 75% of deficit reduction, with only 25% coming from revenue increases, even that’s not enough as some in Congress continue their attack on America’s safety net programs.
The National Committee urges Congress to reject plans to cut Social Security benefits through adoption of a new COLA formula called the Chained CPI. We explain why in a letter sent to all 28 Budget Resolution Conferees today:
The chained CPI would reduce Social Security benefits for the oldest and most vulnerable Americans who would be least able to afford it. Three years after enactment, the chained CPI would cut the Social Security benefits of a typical 65 year-old by about $130. By age 95, the same senior would face a reduction of almost $1,400 per year. Moreover, the chained CPI would have a harmful economic impact on every state and congressional district in the country. In a National Committee report released earlier this month, we found that the COLA cut could result in a $31 billion loss in economic output and the loss of more than 200,000 jobs nationwide in 2023. For an estimate of how your state’s economy would be affected by the chained CPI, please see our Foundation Report.
Social Security does not face an immediate crisis and is not driving either the short-term deficit or long-term debt. Rather than cutting the already meager benefits, Social Security should be strengthened for the long-term by increasing the current payroll tax cap on earnings.
We’ve also urged the conferees to reject proposals to cut Medicare:
Regarding Medicare, beneficiaries already have high out-of-pocket costs, and because over half of beneficiaries are living on incomes of $22,500 or less, they cannot afford to pay more. However, if the budget resolution includes Medicare cost shifting proposals, seniors and people with disabilities could be required to pay a $25 increase in their Part B deductible, a $100 copayment per home health episode, and higher Part B premiums for purchasing comprehensive Medigap plans. And, further means-testing of Medicare would mean middle class seniors would pay higher Part B and D premiums. These proposals would shift costs to beneficiaries without solving the underlying problem of overall health care inflation, and would make Medicare more complicated and difficult to administer.
Conservatives have said they hope to use these benefit cutting proposals, also included in the President’s budget, as bargaining chips in the budget conference which begins tomorrow. The National Committee will continue our efforts to stop these harmful cuts including a demonstration next month at the White House reminding the President and Congress that the American people, of all ages and political parties, do not support cutting benefits to balance the budget.
Senator Warren and the Retirement Crisis
It’s not very often a speech in Congress is so dead-on that we share it, in its entirety, here. Yesterday’s speech by Senator Elizabeth Warren on America’s retirement crisis is a notable exception. We highly recommend you give it a view:
Activists Stage White House Demonstration to End Chained CPI Proposal
Cuts to Social Security Will Hurt Seniors, Veterans, People with Disabilities and Children; Shackle Recovering Economy
While some in Washington may have given up on a so-called “grand bargain,” many others including the White House, have left benefit cuts to millions of seniors, veterans and people with disabilities on the budget bargaining table. Contrary to claims by Chained CPI proponents, this change to the annual COLA calculation is not a “technical tweak” but a benefit cut for the oldest and most vulnerable Americans who would be least able to afford it. Additionally, recent research by the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare Foundation, in consultation with economist Dean Baker, shows that adoption of the Chained CPI could cut $31 billion in economic output and more than 200,000 jobs nationwide.
Activists from the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, AARP, NOW, Paralyzed Veterans of America, Generations United, NARFE, Social Security Works and other advocacy groups converged on the White House to tell President Obama “No” to the chained CPI. Protestors with signs illustrating the negative economic impact in each of the nation’s 50 states plus Washington, D.C. rallied along Pennsylvania Avenue and were joined by Rep. Keith Ellison (MN-5) and Rep. Mark Pocan (WI-2).
“The coalition here today is diverse, strong and unified in our opposition to Social Security benefit cuts like those that would come with the Chained CPI. Groups here today represent not just seniors but also young people, veterans, civilians, people with disabilities and middle class families. We’re all here together to say the negative impact of the Chained CPI should not be ignored or trivialized any longer. The White House and others have said this benefit cut is nothing more than a “technical tweak,”…but the truth is it would be a benefit cut imposed on the oldest and most vulnerable Americans who would be least able to afford it.” Max Richtman, NCPSSM President/CEO
Here’s a video of activists rallying at the White House.
Do You “Know Your Rights”?
New Education Campaign Informs LGBT Community about Their New Social Security Benefits Eligibility
Hundreds of Northern California same-sex spouses, and elder lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans attended the nation’s first “Know Your Rights” education sessions sponsored by NCPSSM’s foundation and our local partners. The events provided participants vital information about Social Security benefits now available thanks to the Supreme Court’s June 2013 Windsor ruling in the Defense of Marriage Act.
For the first time in its long history, the Social Security Administration is providing benefits to same sex married couples which has important financial implications for millions of LGBT Americans. The “Know Your Rights” campaign’s goal is to ensure LGBT Americans understand their rights to benefits.
“ ‘Know Your Rights’ is the first outreach program of its kind in the nation and a model for an education campaign potentially reaching millions of LGBT Americans from coast to coast.
The National Committee Foundation is proud to lead this campaign because it’s vital that we get the word out to the LGBT community so that they can begin the process of filing for benefits with the Social Security Administration.”…Carroll L. Estes, Ph.D., National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare Foundation Board Chair
“We were honored to offer a launch pad for the National Committee Foundation’s critically important efforts to help make the Supreme Court’s historic decision effective by expanding the principles of social justice and equal treatment to Social Security. Over the coming years, millions of same-sex couples will get the federal benefits they have earned, and the human respect they deserve.”…Dr. Thomas Peters, President & CEO, Marin Community Foundation
With the support of a lead grant from the Marin Community Foundation, the Northern California sessions included panel discussions with the Social Security Administration, legal experts, and seniors’ and LGBT advocates. The outreach sessions in Marin, San Francisco and Sonoma Counties were coordinated with local partners, Spectrum LGBT Center and Openhouse.
“With marriage for same-sex couples now recognized by one third of the states and the federal government, more and more LGBT Americans have access to benefits and responsibilities we have not had to consider before,” said Openhouse Executive Director Seth Kilbourn. “For older same-sex couples, Social Security benefits are particularly important. These kinds of town hall meetings provide critical information about what these benefits mean for LGBT families and how to access them. The “Know Your Rights” outreach effort is a great model that brings the LGBT community together with local leaders and national partners to talk about these issues and begin the dialogue.”
“The Social Security Town Halls give LGBT Americans – and LGBT older adults in particular – an opportunity to learn about federal benefits previously denied to them because of the discriminatory policy of offering only married, heterosexual couples and their families this critical financial benefit. It is through robust education and outreach that we will reach these people – so used to being excluded from the system – and encourage them to apply.” Paula Pilecki, Spectrum LGBT Center Executive Director
Before the DOMA ruling, a child whose same-sex parent died forfeited as much as $15,000 each year in survivor income, totaling $256,000 before he/she reached age 18. There are an estimated quarter million children being raised by same-sex couples who can now qualify for Social Security survivors benefits. When it comes to retirement, same-sex spouses lost, on average, more than $8,000 each year in earned spousal retirement benefits because their marriage was not recognized by the federal government. The Social Security Administration has urged the LGBT community to file for benefits now, even as new regulations are being finalized.
California, with the largest LGBT population in the country and the largest number of Social Security beneficiaries, was the logical choice for the first series of educational forums and sets the stage for a nationwide outreach effort. You can find more information on the “Know Your Rights” campaign on our foundation’s website.
A $19 COLA Hike Too Generous?
Only in Washington would you see folks who actually believe that today’s announcement of a 1.5% COLA hike (three out of five years it’s been less than 2%) is too generous. This tiny COLA increase means that millions of seniors who rely on their Social Security for the basics like fuel, groceries and medical bills will once again find their expenses outpacing their Social Security benefit. For the average senior, this COLA will mean about a $19 monthly increase, which incredibly some in Washington consider too generous.
“Seniors know all to well, their living costs often outpace the COLA increase and a 1.5% increase is anything but too generous. Proponents of a stingier COLA formula claim the Chained CPI is more accurate; however, in truth it is a benefit cut for millions of current and future retirees, veterans, people with disabilities and their families. Replacing the current COLA formula with the chained CPI will mean the typical 65 year-old, who filed for benefits at 62, would lose about $130 per year in benefits. By the time that senior reaches 95, the annual benefit cut will be almost $1,400, which is a 9.2 percent cut.
Given that the average senior currently receives just over $14,000 a year in Social Security, it’s hard to imagine how anyone can argue the COLA should be cut.. Yet this is exactly what has been proposed by the White House and in budget negotiations on Capitol Hill. The American people don’t support cutting Social Security to balance the budget and this annual COLA announcement should remind Washington why adopting the chained CPI is not only bad policy, it’s also bad politics.”…Max Richtman, NCPSSM President/CEO
There is a better way as our President/CEO, Max Richtman, has reported:
The BLS acknowledges the current CPI-W does not “produce official estimates for the rate of inflation experienced by subgroups of the population, such as the elderly or the poor. This is why we need a true elderly index like the CPI-E and not a formula change that will cut benefits and drive more seniors into poverty. A provision in Senator Bernie Sanders’s bill to reauthorize the Older Americans Act (S. 1028) would require the BLS improve the CPI-E and should be adopted by this Congress without any further delay.
Social Security, Medicare and Budget Conferees
Tomorrow, the newly appointed budget conferees meet for the first time to hammer out a budget deal conservatives hope will include benefit cuts to Social Security and Medicare. In spite of the fact that budget cuts have already paid for nearly 75% of deficit reduction, with only 25% coming from revenue increases, even that’s not enough as some in Congress continue their attack on America’s safety net programs.
The National Committee urges Congress to reject plans to cut Social Security benefits through adoption of a new COLA formula called the Chained CPI. We explain why in a letter sent to all 28 Budget Resolution Conferees today:
The chained CPI would reduce Social Security benefits for the oldest and most vulnerable Americans who would be least able to afford it. Three years after enactment, the chained CPI would cut the Social Security benefits of a typical 65 year-old by about $130. By age 95, the same senior would face a reduction of almost $1,400 per year. Moreover, the chained CPI would have a harmful economic impact on every state and congressional district in the country. In a National Committee report released earlier this month, we found that the COLA cut could result in a $31 billion loss in economic output and the loss of more than 200,000 jobs nationwide in 2023. For an estimate of how your state’s economy would be affected by the chained CPI, please see our Foundation Report.
Social Security does not face an immediate crisis and is not driving either the short-term deficit or long-term debt. Rather than cutting the already meager benefits, Social Security should be strengthened for the long-term by increasing the current payroll tax cap on earnings.
We’ve also urged the conferees to reject proposals to cut Medicare:
Regarding Medicare, beneficiaries already have high out-of-pocket costs, and because over half of beneficiaries are living on incomes of $22,500 or less, they cannot afford to pay more. However, if the budget resolution includes Medicare cost shifting proposals, seniors and people with disabilities could be required to pay a $25 increase in their Part B deductible, a $100 copayment per home health episode, and higher Part B premiums for purchasing comprehensive Medigap plans. And, further means-testing of Medicare would mean middle class seniors would pay higher Part B and D premiums. These proposals would shift costs to beneficiaries without solving the underlying problem of overall health care inflation, and would make Medicare more complicated and difficult to administer.
Conservatives have said they hope to use these benefit cutting proposals, also included in the President’s budget, as bargaining chips in the budget conference which begins tomorrow. The National Committee will continue our efforts to stop these harmful cuts including a demonstration next month at the White House reminding the President and Congress that the American people, of all ages and political parties, do not support cutting benefits to balance the budget.