How to Make Older Americans Month Really Mean Something
Chances are you may not even realize May is Older Americans Month. Those of us who work in the aging policy community certainly do but we have often wondered if these commemorative months really have any meaning to the communities they’re designed to honor?One of our favorite bloggers, has an interesting take on the whole issue and we suggest you read her entire post. We couldn’t agree more with “Crabby Old Lady’s” key takeaway point —
Crabby wants inclusion for elders in daily life every day of the year.There is so much that needs doing for elders that would help them take part in the life of their communities – that would help everyone else too. Such as:-Improve public transportation-Enforce age discrimination in the workplace laws-Encourage better geriatric education for physicians-Invite elders onto the citizen advisory boards of cities and towns-Create opportunities to serve that make use of elders’ decades of experience and knowledge-Teach elders how to effectively lobby government officialsMost of all, stop Congress from scaring the crap out of elders with constant threats to cut or kill Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.Working on these issues would be real honoring of elders.
One more recommendation that fits well under our Older Americans month theme…please take a moment to read this terrific post on Huffington which provides a concise and easy to read listing of resources available to America’s seniors.
The Hunger Shame: Seniors are More Food Insecure than Ever
A recent report from Meals on Wheels shows a 78% spike in seniors at risk for hunger since 2001. Although senior citizens have a vital lifeline in Social Security and Medicare benefits, rising food prices and health care costs continue to eat away at their fixed incomes.
According to a Huffington Post piece, one in seven seniors in America, some 8.3 million people, are having difficulty affording sufficient food. Certain groups are at a higher risk than others. Seniors age 60-69, minorities and women are more likely to face hunger than the general population. Women make up 60 percent of the population facing a hunger risk and African-Americans and Hispanics are nearly twice as likely to face food insecurity.
Senior citizens on Social Security and Medicare aren’t living “high on the hog,” as some in Washington like to claim when supporting benefit cuts. We should remind Alan Simpson, who once complained seniors were well off driving their Lexus to the Perkins restaurants for AARP discounts, his view of the world doesn’t match up with the facts. We should be finding ways to strengthen Social Security and Medicare benefits, not cut them for those that can afford it the least.
Here’s Some Monday Morning Reading with Actual Fact-based Info on Social Security & Retirement
Here are two really wonderful pieces on Social Security and Retirement we highly recommend you read.My Faith-Based Retirement by Joe Nocera at the New York Times describes his all-too common personal experience with 401K?s while economist Jared Bernstein provides some desperately needed myth-busting in his Rolling Stone piece, Straight Talk on Social Security. While we don?t agree with his suggestion to move to a chained-CPI, he?s right about the need to push back on all the lies about Social Security?s fiscal health.
Busting Myths about the 2012 Social Security and Medicare Trustees Report
No doubt you’ve already seen the screaming headlines promising the immediate bankruptcy of Social Security and Medicare…it’s an annual Washington tradition tied to the release of the Social Security and Medicare Trustees report. Unfortunately, this tradition seldom stems from factual reporting of what’s actually in the trustees report. This year is no exception.To help you sort fact from fiction about the true health of Social Security and Medicare, here is our President/CEO Max Richtman’s reaction to the Trustees’ projections and some data you likely won’t see reported in this week’s news coverage:
?Projections in the 2012 Trustees Reports come as no surprise to anyone who understands how Social Security and Medicare work. The trust fund solvency date for Social Security has seen fluctuations many times in recent decades, from a depletion date as distant as 2048 in the 1988 report to as soon as 2029 in the 1994 and 1997 reports. This year?s report is well within that range. Contrary to the crisis myths perpetuated by fiscal conservatives and many in the media, the prevailing facts show once again that Social Security remains among the nation?s most successful and stable programs. The Trustees report there is now $2.7 trillion in the Social Security trust fund, which is $69 billion more than last year, and continues to grow. Payroll contributions and interest will fully cover benefits for decades to come.? Max Richtman, NCPSSM President/CEO
In the 2012 Trustees report:
- Trustees project Social Security will be able to pay full benefits until the year 2033. After that, Social Security will have sufficient revenue to pay about 75% of benefits.
- Social Security is still well funded. In 2012, with the economy showing slow signs of recovery, Social Security?s total income still exceeded its expenses by over $57 billion. In fact, the Trustees estimate that total annual income is expected to exceed program obligations until 2020.
- Beneficiaries will likely see a Cost of Living Allowance increase of 1.8% in 2013.
The 2012 Trustees report also shows Medicare?s Trust Fund solvency projection remains unchanged at 2024. This reflects the success that health care reform has had in improving Medicare?s solvency. If long-term solvency for Medicare is truly Congress? goal, then repealing health care reform is not an option as it would set back that progress immeasurably.
?The challenges facing Medicare are the same that we see in the broader health care system?the high cost of health care in America. Thanks to health care reform, Medicare will save $200 billion by 2016, but even those savings would be lost if opponents have their way and the Affordable Care Act is repealed. We must allow reform to be fully implemented in order to realize the projected savings.? Max Richtman
The National Committee believes that Congress can also improve the long-term outlook for Social Security with modest and manageable changes in revenue without enacting harmful benefit cuts for current or future retirees. Recent polling has shown that a majority of Americans support lifting the payroll tax cap to ensure Americans contribute at all income levels.
We Can’t Afford Medicare and Social Security but we Can Afford Tax Cuts for Millionaires
Last night Senate Republicans voted against the so-called ?Buffett Rule? killing this latest hope for tax fairness from Washington, once again. Seniors especially need to remember this vote when their elected leaders tell them that America ?can?t afford? Social Security and Medicare. During last night?s vote some GOP Senators even suggested the poor and middle-class aren?t suffering enough:
“The Joint Committee on Taxation estimates that 51 percent of all households, which includes both filers and nonfilers, had either zero or negative income tax liability in 2009,” Kyl said, suggesting it was the middle class and poor who were not sacrificing. “People who do not share in the sacrifice of paying taxes have little direct incentive to care whether the government is spending and taxing too much. Maybe that’s why the president has no problem with even more Americans getting a free ride.” Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ)
Most Americans understand that not earning enough income to have to pay income tax (even though they?re still paying plenty of other federal, state and local taxes) doesn’t mean working Americans are getting a free ride it just shows how much average Americans are suffering in this economy where unemployment, underemployment, and stagnant wages remain all-too-common. Nearly three-quarters of the American people support common-sense tax reform that returns some basic fairness to a system that has allows too many millionaires to pay a lower tax rate than middle class workers.However, conservatives in Washington, in vote after vote, have made it clear they will do whatever it takes to protect tax cuts for the wealthiest among us. In fact, they hope to persuade you that turning Medicare into Couponcare and privatizing Social Security is the kind of ?shared sacrifice? needed to preserve (and even expand) these tax cuts for the millionaires and corporations.Here are some graphs from Think Progress that clearly illustrate what?s at stake:
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How to Make Older Americans Month Really Mean Something
Chances are you may not even realize May is Older Americans Month. Those of us who work in the aging policy community certainly do but we have often wondered if these commemorative months really have any meaning to the communities they’re designed to honor?One of our favorite bloggers, has an interesting take on the whole issue and we suggest you read her entire post. We couldn’t agree more with “Crabby Old Lady’s” key takeaway point —
Crabby wants inclusion for elders in daily life every day of the year.There is so much that needs doing for elders that would help them take part in the life of their communities – that would help everyone else too. Such as:-Improve public transportation-Enforce age discrimination in the workplace laws-Encourage better geriatric education for physicians-Invite elders onto the citizen advisory boards of cities and towns-Create opportunities to serve that make use of elders’ decades of experience and knowledge-Teach elders how to effectively lobby government officialsMost of all, stop Congress from scaring the crap out of elders with constant threats to cut or kill Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.Working on these issues would be real honoring of elders.
One more recommendation that fits well under our Older Americans month theme…please take a moment to read this terrific post on Huffington which provides a concise and easy to read listing of resources available to America’s seniors.
The Hunger Shame: Seniors are More Food Insecure than Ever
A recent report from Meals on Wheels shows a 78% spike in seniors at risk for hunger since 2001. Although senior citizens have a vital lifeline in Social Security and Medicare benefits, rising food prices and health care costs continue to eat away at their fixed incomes.
According to a Huffington Post piece, one in seven seniors in America, some 8.3 million people, are having difficulty affording sufficient food. Certain groups are at a higher risk than others. Seniors age 60-69, minorities and women are more likely to face hunger than the general population. Women make up 60 percent of the population facing a hunger risk and African-Americans and Hispanics are nearly twice as likely to face food insecurity.
Senior citizens on Social Security and Medicare aren’t living “high on the hog,” as some in Washington like to claim when supporting benefit cuts. We should remind Alan Simpson, who once complained seniors were well off driving their Lexus to the Perkins restaurants for AARP discounts, his view of the world doesn’t match up with the facts. We should be finding ways to strengthen Social Security and Medicare benefits, not cut them for those that can afford it the least.
Here’s Some Monday Morning Reading with Actual Fact-based Info on Social Security & Retirement
Here are two really wonderful pieces on Social Security and Retirement we highly recommend you read.My Faith-Based Retirement by Joe Nocera at the New York Times describes his all-too common personal experience with 401K?s while economist Jared Bernstein provides some desperately needed myth-busting in his Rolling Stone piece, Straight Talk on Social Security. While we don?t agree with his suggestion to move to a chained-CPI, he?s right about the need to push back on all the lies about Social Security?s fiscal health.
Busting Myths about the 2012 Social Security and Medicare Trustees Report
No doubt you’ve already seen the screaming headlines promising the immediate bankruptcy of Social Security and Medicare…it’s an annual Washington tradition tied to the release of the Social Security and Medicare Trustees report. Unfortunately, this tradition seldom stems from factual reporting of what’s actually in the trustees report. This year is no exception.To help you sort fact from fiction about the true health of Social Security and Medicare, here is our President/CEO Max Richtman’s reaction to the Trustees’ projections and some data you likely won’t see reported in this week’s news coverage:
?Projections in the 2012 Trustees Reports come as no surprise to anyone who understands how Social Security and Medicare work. The trust fund solvency date for Social Security has seen fluctuations many times in recent decades, from a depletion date as distant as 2048 in the 1988 report to as soon as 2029 in the 1994 and 1997 reports. This year?s report is well within that range. Contrary to the crisis myths perpetuated by fiscal conservatives and many in the media, the prevailing facts show once again that Social Security remains among the nation?s most successful and stable programs. The Trustees report there is now $2.7 trillion in the Social Security trust fund, which is $69 billion more than last year, and continues to grow. Payroll contributions and interest will fully cover benefits for decades to come.? Max Richtman, NCPSSM President/CEO
In the 2012 Trustees report:
- Trustees project Social Security will be able to pay full benefits until the year 2033. After that, Social Security will have sufficient revenue to pay about 75% of benefits.
- Social Security is still well funded. In 2012, with the economy showing slow signs of recovery, Social Security?s total income still exceeded its expenses by over $57 billion. In fact, the Trustees estimate that total annual income is expected to exceed program obligations until 2020.
- Beneficiaries will likely see a Cost of Living Allowance increase of 1.8% in 2013.
The 2012 Trustees report also shows Medicare?s Trust Fund solvency projection remains unchanged at 2024. This reflects the success that health care reform has had in improving Medicare?s solvency. If long-term solvency for Medicare is truly Congress? goal, then repealing health care reform is not an option as it would set back that progress immeasurably.
?The challenges facing Medicare are the same that we see in the broader health care system?the high cost of health care in America. Thanks to health care reform, Medicare will save $200 billion by 2016, but even those savings would be lost if opponents have their way and the Affordable Care Act is repealed. We must allow reform to be fully implemented in order to realize the projected savings.? Max Richtman
The National Committee believes that Congress can also improve the long-term outlook for Social Security with modest and manageable changes in revenue without enacting harmful benefit cuts for current or future retirees. Recent polling has shown that a majority of Americans support lifting the payroll tax cap to ensure Americans contribute at all income levels.
We Can’t Afford Medicare and Social Security but we Can Afford Tax Cuts for Millionaires
Last night Senate Republicans voted against the so-called ?Buffett Rule? killing this latest hope for tax fairness from Washington, once again. Seniors especially need to remember this vote when their elected leaders tell them that America ?can?t afford? Social Security and Medicare. During last night?s vote some GOP Senators even suggested the poor and middle-class aren?t suffering enough:
“The Joint Committee on Taxation estimates that 51 percent of all households, which includes both filers and nonfilers, had either zero or negative income tax liability in 2009,” Kyl said, suggesting it was the middle class and poor who were not sacrificing. “People who do not share in the sacrifice of paying taxes have little direct incentive to care whether the government is spending and taxing too much. Maybe that’s why the president has no problem with even more Americans getting a free ride.” Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ)
Most Americans understand that not earning enough income to have to pay income tax (even though they?re still paying plenty of other federal, state and local taxes) doesn’t mean working Americans are getting a free ride it just shows how much average Americans are suffering in this economy where unemployment, underemployment, and stagnant wages remain all-too-common. Nearly three-quarters of the American people support common-sense tax reform that returns some basic fairness to a system that has allows too many millionaires to pay a lower tax rate than middle class workers.However, conservatives in Washington, in vote after vote, have made it clear they will do whatever it takes to protect tax cuts for the wealthiest among us. In fact, they hope to persuade you that turning Medicare into Couponcare and privatizing Social Security is the kind of ?shared sacrifice? needed to preserve (and even expand) these tax cuts for the millionaires and corporations.Here are some graphs from Think Progress that clearly illustrate what?s at stake:
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