FDR’S Grandson Says This Is a ‘High Stakes Time’ For Social Security
By James Roosevelt, Jr.
Social Security — which turned 88 years old in August — is one of my grandfather’s greatest legacies. It’s no exaggeration to say that this is a high stakes time for his landmark program. Powerful opponents of Social Security are calling for privatization, cutting the annual COLA, raising the retirement age, and even “sunsetting” the program. That’s not something I could bear to see. Not at a time when so many Americans are counting on their earned benefits to make ends meet.
Yet, every time there is talk about reining in budget deficits, many politicians turn to Social Security. It’s always been an easy target for so-called “deficit hawks” in Washington who would much rather chip away at seniors’ earned benefits than reverse decades of unfair (and unpaid for!) tax policies that benefit wealthy Americans and huge corporations.
Fortunately, my grandfather helped structure the Social Security program to make it hard to cut or privatize Social Security. Because Social Security has its own dedicated income stream from the payroll tax, we don’t just trade it off against education or defense or other important priorities.
My grandfather famously said, “With those taxes in there, no damn politician can ever scrap my Social Security program.”
President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs Social Security into law (August 14, 1935)
But today hardliners in Congress are closer than ever to defunding this critical program that provides 66 million Americans and their families with basic financial security upon retirement or disability. The program has never missed a payment — even during war, recessions and a pandemic. And yet, I’m hearing more politicians than ever talking about the need to change, cut, scale back and even end Social Security “for the good of the economy.”
*Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) proposed a plan where Social Security would have to be reauthorized by Congress every five years.
*Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) said that Social Security spending should be considered “discretionary spending” and subject to routine budget negotiations every year, even though the program is self-funded by workers.
*Other politicians, including potential 2024 presidential candidates, are calling for raising the retirement age to 70. While that may work out just fine for a lawyer or Wall Street broker, raising the retirement age would have the harshest impact on people working in physically demanding jobs.
*Former Vice President Mike Pence, a 2024 presidential candidate, is now calling for major reforms to Social Security, including privatization. And he recently said, “I think we can replace the New Deal programs with a better deal.”
As a reminder, in 2005, the National Committee helped lead intense grassroots activism against former President George W. Bush’s serious attempt to privatize Social Security. (Congressman Mike Pence was involved in that effort). If President Bush had succeeded, his plan would have handed over control of Social Security benefits to Wall Street brokers and subjected the earned benefits of millions of older Americans to the volatility of the Stock Market.
James Roosevelt, Jr., grandson of FDR & vice-chair of NCPSSM Advisory Board
Lawmakers pushing these dangerous and callous proposals are missing an important point: We can’t just change or cut Social Security without risking the livelihoods of millions of retirees. The real power to protect Social Security lies with us. When we stand shoulder-to-shoulder with millions of senior voters — Congress not only listens, it often reacts in our favor.
James Roosevelt, Jr. is the grandson of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and son of NCPSSM’s founder, Congressman James Roosevelt, Sr. He is vice-chair of NCPSSM’s Advisory Board and served as CEO of Tufts Health Plan. Previously, he served as Associate Commissioner of the U.S. Social Security Administration.
Marking the First Anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act
President Biden signed the historic Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) into law one year ago today. It was the first time Congress enacted major legislation to take on Big Pharma and lower the price of prescription drugs for seniors. For us, the IRA was the culmination of a 20 year struggle to reform Medicare Part D — the prescription drug benefit — so that seniors actually could afford crucial medications. We had seen too many statistics over the years about older Americans cutting pills in half or not filling prescriptions because of high costs — or having to choose between essentials like food and medicine.
“We took on Big Pharma, and we won,” proclaimed President Biden after the IRA was enacted. Though the IRA cannot solve the entire drug pricing problem, it will provide relief to millions of American seniors. Here are its major provisions:
*Empowers Medicare to negotiate prices with drug-makers
*Caps Medicare Part D patients’ annual out-of-pocket payments at $2,000
*Caps the cost of insulin for Part D patients at $35/month
*Penalizes drug-makers for raising prices above the rate of inflation
The IRA’s most historic aspect is the drug price negotiation provision – more modest than originally envisioned, but still extremely significant. At first, only ten drugs will be eligible for negotiations, and new brand-name drugs are excluded. Negotiated prices will not take effect until 2026. But Big Pharma opposed these relatively modest measures, and is currently trying to block them in court.
Undaunted, the Biden administration has been spending the past year fleshing out rules for implementing the Inflation Reduction Act’s drug pricing provisions.
“Starting this year, Medicare will begin to negotiate directly with drug manufacturers to bring down the price of covered high-cost prescription drugs. CMS will announce the first 10 drugs selected for negotiation by September 1, 2023. The first round of negotiations will occur during 2023 and 2024. The prices that are negotiated will be effective starting in 2026.” – Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 6/30/23
In March, CMS released initial guidance on the drug price negotiation process, outlining “how the agency will select drugs for negotiation this year and how those negotiations will be conducted.” At the end of June, CMS released a revised framework, “informed by public input,” for how the government will negotiate with drugmakers on a maximum fair price for selected drugs. This, the agency says, will ensure “that Medicare beneficiaries have access to innovative, life-saving treatments” at a lower cost for patients and for the Medicare program itself.
On July 1st, the Inflation Reduction Act’s cap on insulin costs for Medicare patients went into effect. Beneficiaries will pay no more than $35/month for insulin. Insulin prices had soared nearly 40% from 2014-2018, and patients’ out-of-pocket costs were running from $300 to $1,000 per month. Over the years, we heard heartbreaking stories about diabetics who rationed insulin because of the high cost and ended up gravely ill or dead. In addition to lowering prices, the Inflation Reduction Act can truly be a lifesaver.
The IRA’s cap on out-of-pocket drug costs for Medicare Part D beneficiaries is especially crucial for patients with serious chronic conditions like cancer or multiple sclerosis. As Kaiser Family Foundation reported, out-of-pocket costs for medications to treat those conditions can be staggering – especially for seniors on fixed incomes:
“For example, in 2020, among Part D enrollees without low-income subsidies, average annual out-of-pocket spending for the cancer drug Revlimid was $6,200 $5,700 for the cancer drug Imbruvica; and $4,100 for the MS drug Avonex.” – Kaiser Family Foundation, 1/24/23
Seniors without subsidies will have to continue paying those higher prices until 2025, when the $2,000 out-of-pocket cap takes effect.
The Inflation Reduction Act was an ambitious, wide-ranging piece of legislation that included not only prescription drug pricing reform, but climate change mitigation and measures to make the U.S. more economically competitive in the 21st century.
Not all Americans, let alone, seniors are aware of the historic drug pricing reforms in the Inflation Reduction Act. The Biden administration has been working to enhance the public’s understanding of the law’s positive impact on their pocketbooks and overall health. CMS posts updates on its activities here. And HHS’ Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning & Evaluation (ASPE) has a great informational resource on prescription drug price reform, as well.
Meanwhile, the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, which tirelessly advocated for the prescription drug reforms in the IRA, will continue to keep the pressure on Congress to lower prices for seniors and all Americans.
“We want the number and types of drugs subject to negotiation to be broadened. Eventually we would like to see all drugs subject to Medicare price negotiation,” said NCPSSM legislative director, Dan Adcock. “The door has been opened. Now it’s our job to keep pushing it ever wider so that older Americans can afford the drugs they need to save their lives — and have a better quality of life.”
Philadelphians Flock to NCPSSM/AARP Town Hall on Social Security
More than 150 Philadelphians turned out at Center in the Park for a town hall emphasizing Social Security’s importance to the Black community, co-presented by NCPSSM and AARP Pennsylvania. Attendees learned about their earned benefits and played Social Security-themed games — including Social Security Plinko and “What does Social Security Mean to You?”
The event featured a public forum with panelists Max Richtman (NCPSSM President), Carolyn Colvin (former Social Security Commissioner), and representatives from Community Legal Services of Philadelphia. The town hall portion was moderated by Philadelphia radio personality Frankie Darcell of WDAS-FM.
Attendees included near-seniors (aged 55-65) and workers who have already retired. “I learned many things, from beginning to end,” said Lue D., a retired pharmaceutical manager, who says she appreciated the forum’s debunking of Social Security myths and misinformation. “It reinforced to me that we need the truth about Social Security in order to talk about it more intelligently out in the community.”
Attendees watch the panel discussion on the importance of Social Security
During the public forum, National Committee president and CEO Max Richtman corrected several harmful Social Security myths:
*Social Security is not going bankrupt;
*The trust fund is not full of “worthless IOUs”
*Politicians are not ‘stealing’ from Social Security;
*Undocumented immigrants are not draining the system’s finances.
Without naming names, Richtman said that myths and misinformation “are designed to undermine the support and faith that Americans have in Social Security” by those who wish to cut and privatize the program. Fortunately, he said, “the polling we’ve seen shows 80-90% support for Social Security across the board.”
L-R, Panelists Allison Schilling, Sarah Martinez, Carolyn Colvin, and Max Richtman
The benefit to Black families was a major theme of the forum’s panel discussion. Ava, a retiree in the audience, said that she “hadn’t understood how Social Security helps families” until she attended the event.
Former Social Security Commissioner Colvin (who ran the program under President Obama) explained that, on average, Black workers become disabled earlier and live fewer years than others. Social Security, she said, provides families with disability, spousal, and survivor’s benefits. “The Social Security benefits available to families is extremely important,” Colvin told the audience. “Social Security guarantees benefits for various stages of family experience.”
Former Social Security Commissioner Carolyn Colvin speaks at the town hall
Colvin pointed out that Black retirees rely on Social Security more than their white counterparts, due to job and wage discrimination and other socioeconomic factors. Without Social Security, 50.5% of Black retirees would be living in poverty.
Pennsylvania State Senator Art Haywood kicked off the town hall with a passionate statement of support for Social Security. Haywood, who was raised by a single mom and began working at age 9 as a newspaper delivery boy, said that “Social Security was designed to preserve the dignity” of retirees. “That’s why it’s so important to have this forum… to talk in detail about the fact that Social Security is still there for us.”
PA State Senator Art Haywood: Social Security allows workers to retire “with dignity”
Sarah Martinez and Allison Schilling of Community Legal Services of Philadelphia covered the nitty-gritty details of Social Security and the difference between Social Security retirement benefits, Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) — including the nuances on how to qualify and apply for each program.
Martinez acknowledged that qualifying for SSDI can be difficult, especially given customer service issues at the fiscally struggling Social Security Administration (SSA). “If you’re denied there’s likely a long appeals process. I’ve seen some of these cases go for years, with multiple appeals. The quickest I’ve seen an SSDI appeal resolved in the claimant’s favor is around one year,” she said. (More than 10,000 claimants have died awaiting a hearing on their SSDI appeals.)
A few hours before the town hall began, President Biden named former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley as permanent commissioner for SSA. In a press statement, Richtman praised O’Malley for his support of Social Security as a presidential candidate in 2016. “As a confirmed commissioner, Martin O’Malley will be able to advocate effectively for SSA, which has been chronically underfunded and has struggled to provide adequate customer service,” said Richtman.
Representatives from the regional SSA office and the staffs of U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) and Rep. Dwight Evans (D-PA) were on hand to answer attendees’ personal Social Security questions. Audience member Pat Pinkett, who is still working but nearing Social Security retirement age, said she attended the town hall because many people “have no clue about how Social Security really works. I wanted to come to the source and get the facts!”
Philadelphians packed Center in the Park for the NCPSSM/AARP town hall
The Philadelphia town hall was part of a joint NCPSSM-AARP public education campaign entitled, “Social Security: Here Today, Here Tomorrow,” to better inform Americans about the value of the program to workers and their families. The first town hall took place in Richmond, VA in June. The campaign is coming to Lansing, MI, Las Vegas, NV, and Milwaukee, WI between now and October.
Watch a recording of the entire Philadelphia town hall here.
For more information on the town halls, visit the campaign website www.socialsecurity.org
Rep. Larson Re-introduces His Social Security 2100 Act & Other Top News of the Week
It’s been a busy week for Social Security watchers and advocates. Here are some of the major developments from Washington, D.C.:
Larson Re-Introduces Social Security Expansion Bill
Rep. John Larson on Wednesday re-introduced his Social Security 2100 Act, the sixth time he has offered this legislation. The 2100 Act would boost benefits across the board — and would also provide targeted increases to the most vulnerable seniors; It would replace the current COLA formula with the more accurate (and generous) CPI-E; and it would repeal the wildly unpopular Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO).
Equally importantly, the Larson bill would extend the solvency of the Social Security trust fund, currently projected to become depleted in 2034, for another 32 years – according to an estimate from the program’s Chief Actuary.
The bill pays for expanded benefits and extended solvency by:
- Ensuring millionaires and billionaires pay their fair share by applying FICA to earnings above $400,000, with those extra earnings counted toward benefits at a reduced rate.
- Closing the loophole of avoiding FICA taxes and receiving a lower rate on investment income by adding an additional 12.4% net investment income tax (NIIT) only for taxpayers making over $400,000.
“Seniors across the country rely on Social Security benefits to ensure they can retire with dignity after a lifetime of hard work. It’s been 52 years since Congress has acted to enhance Social Security on their behalf, and while Republicans band together to dismantle the program, Democrats are making it clear they are coming together to both protect and expand Social Security.” – Rep. John Larson (D-CT), 7/12/23
Congressman Larson’s bill has almost 200 cosponsors in the U.S. House.
Senate Committee Holds Hearing on Medicare and Social Security Fair Share Act
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, chair of the Senate Budget Committee, held a hearing this week on his bill, the Medicare and Social Security Fair Share Act. Like Larson’s legislation, Senator Whitehouse’s bill that would require wages above $400,000 to be taxed for Social Security.
“Right now, the cap on Social Security contributions means a tech exec making $1 million effectively stops paying into the program at the end of February, while a schoolteacher making far less contributes their share through every single paycheck all year.” – Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)
Unlike the Larson bill, Senator Whitehouse’s does not expand benefits. Meanwhile, House Republicans have proposed to cut benefits by raising the retirement age, means testing, and adopting a more miserly COLA formula.
2024 Social Security COLA May Be a Paltry 3%
“The COLA is estimated at 3% next year, according to a forecast from The Senior Citizens League, a nonprofit seniors’ group. That’s much less than the four-decade high 8.7% COLA in 2023 but above last month’s estimate for a 2.7% increase for 2024,” reports CNBC.
Most seniors need every dollar of cost-of-living adjustments that they can get, as the cost of essentials like housing, food, and medical care continue to rise. Unfortunately, the current COLA formula does not fully take into account the goods and services that seniors depend on. The National Committee supports the adoption of the CPI-E (Consumer Price Index – Elderly), which is included in Congressman Larson’s bill.
“Social Security was our lifeline” says Richmond Mayor at NCPSSM/AARP Town Hall
The importance of Social Security to the Black Community could not have been clearer in Richmond, VA on Tuesday — at the National Committee’s first town hall of a new public education campaign, “Social Security: Here Today, Here Tomorrow.” The town hall was sponsored by AARP Virginia.
Watch a recorded video stream of the entire Richmond event here.
Some 80 Richmond residents and AARP volunteers filled the Black History Museum & Cultural Center for an evening of Social Security-themed games and a public forum/Q&A. Representatives of the Social Security Administration (SSA) and the office of U.S. Rep. Rob Wittman were on hand to answer questions about attendees’ earned benefits.
The town hall was moderated by WTVR-TV (CBS 6) anchor, Reba Hollingsworth, with panelists including former Social Security Commissioner Carolyn Colvin, NCPSSM President & CEO Max Ricthman, and financial advisor Brandon Byerson.
Social Security Plinko — a fun way to learn about a program of special importance to Black Americans
Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney opened the public forum with an impassioned testimonial about being raised by his grandmother, who was a Social Security beneficiary. “Black individuals rely more on Social Security than other demographics, and my grandmother’s story is a great example of that,” Stoney said. “It truly was our lifeline.” Without Social Security, some 50% of Black Americans would be living in poverty.
Mayor Levar Stoney kicks-off the Richmond town hall, 6/27/23
Commissioner Colvin, who ran the Social Security program during the Obama administration, explained that Black workers especially depend on Social Security because of historically lower wages and dwindling employer-provided pensions. “If you’re dealing with struggling to put food on the table and pay your bills or to deal with health issues, you don’t have money to save towards your retirement,” Colvin said.
National Committee President Max Richtman focused on busting Social Security myths that can undermine public support for the program. “Social Security is not going bankrupt. It will be there for future generations if Congress takes responsible action. And politicians are not ‘stealing from Social Security,’ Richtman pointed out.
He also debunked conservative propaganda that Social Security is a bad deal for younger adults — not only because they will need their retirement benefits even more than current seniors do – but because the average 27 year-old with a spouse and two children already has more than $800,000 worth of insurance coverage from Social Security.
“People think of Social Security as only being for seniors, but let’s remember that it provides life, disability, spousal and survivor’s insurance for Americans of all ages — including millions of children,” said Richtman.
NCPSSM President Max Richtman & Fmr. Social Security Commissioner Carolyn Colvin
The “Social Security: Here Today, Here Tomorrow” campaign is focused on near retirees (people who are not yet eligible for Social Security but will be soon.) As the Richmond-Times Dispatch reported, attendee Michele Rodrigues came to the event to learn more about Social Security before she becomes eligible for benefits:::
Rodrigues got set back financially after losing her job. She said she wants to be ready for a decision on claiming Social Security before she turns 62, the earliest age one can collect retirement benefits. “It’s critical for my retirement,” Rodrigues said. – Gabriela DeCamargo Goncalves, Richmond Times Dispatch, 6/29/23
The public education campaign rolls onward with town halls this summer and early fall in Philadelphia, PA (7/26/23), Lansing, MI (8/28/23), Milwaukee, WI (September TBD), and Las Vegas, NV (October TBD). Visit www.socialsecurityheretoday.org for registration information. Those unable to attend the free town halls in person will be able to watch live video streams of the events.
“We look forward to taking the campaign to these other cities, spreading the word that Social Security is crucial for all Americans — and that it’s so important for workers to understand the program before they become eligible,” says Richtman. “Most of all, we want them to know that Social Security remains strong, and that with action from Congress to enhance the program’s finances and improve benefits, it definitely will be there for them when they need it.”
Watch the “Social Security: Here Today, Here Tomorrow” video here.
FDR’S Grandson Says This Is a ‘High Stakes Time’ For Social Security
By James Roosevelt, Jr.
Social Security — which turned 88 years old in August — is one of my grandfather’s greatest legacies. It’s no exaggeration to say that this is a high stakes time for his landmark program. Powerful opponents of Social Security are calling for privatization, cutting the annual COLA, raising the retirement age, and even “sunsetting” the program. That’s not something I could bear to see. Not at a time when so many Americans are counting on their earned benefits to make ends meet.
Yet, every time there is talk about reining in budget deficits, many politicians turn to Social Security. It’s always been an easy target for so-called “deficit hawks” in Washington who would much rather chip away at seniors’ earned benefits than reverse decades of unfair (and unpaid for!) tax policies that benefit wealthy Americans and huge corporations.
Fortunately, my grandfather helped structure the Social Security program to make it hard to cut or privatize Social Security. Because Social Security has its own dedicated income stream from the payroll tax, we don’t just trade it off against education or defense or other important priorities.
My grandfather famously said, “With those taxes in there, no damn politician can ever scrap my Social Security program.”
President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs Social Security into law (August 14, 1935)
But today hardliners in Congress are closer than ever to defunding this critical program that provides 66 million Americans and their families with basic financial security upon retirement or disability. The program has never missed a payment — even during war, recessions and a pandemic. And yet, I’m hearing more politicians than ever talking about the need to change, cut, scale back and even end Social Security “for the good of the economy.”
*Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) proposed a plan where Social Security would have to be reauthorized by Congress every five years.
*Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) said that Social Security spending should be considered “discretionary spending” and subject to routine budget negotiations every year, even though the program is self-funded by workers.
*Other politicians, including potential 2024 presidential candidates, are calling for raising the retirement age to 70. While that may work out just fine for a lawyer or Wall Street broker, raising the retirement age would have the harshest impact on people working in physically demanding jobs.
*Former Vice President Mike Pence, a 2024 presidential candidate, is now calling for major reforms to Social Security, including privatization. And he recently said, “I think we can replace the New Deal programs with a better deal.”
As a reminder, in 2005, the National Committee helped lead intense grassroots activism against former President George W. Bush’s serious attempt to privatize Social Security. (Congressman Mike Pence was involved in that effort). If President Bush had succeeded, his plan would have handed over control of Social Security benefits to Wall Street brokers and subjected the earned benefits of millions of older Americans to the volatility of the Stock Market.
James Roosevelt, Jr., grandson of FDR & vice-chair of NCPSSM Advisory Board
Lawmakers pushing these dangerous and callous proposals are missing an important point: We can’t just change or cut Social Security without risking the livelihoods of millions of retirees. The real power to protect Social Security lies with us. When we stand shoulder-to-shoulder with millions of senior voters — Congress not only listens, it often reacts in our favor.
James Roosevelt, Jr. is the grandson of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and son of NCPSSM’s founder, Congressman James Roosevelt, Sr. He is vice-chair of NCPSSM’s Advisory Board and served as CEO of Tufts Health Plan. Previously, he served as Associate Commissioner of the U.S. Social Security Administration.
Marking the First Anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act
President Biden signed the historic Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) into law one year ago today. It was the first time Congress enacted major legislation to take on Big Pharma and lower the price of prescription drugs for seniors. For us, the IRA was the culmination of a 20 year struggle to reform Medicare Part D — the prescription drug benefit — so that seniors actually could afford crucial medications. We had seen too many statistics over the years about older Americans cutting pills in half or not filling prescriptions because of high costs — or having to choose between essentials like food and medicine.
“We took on Big Pharma, and we won,” proclaimed President Biden after the IRA was enacted. Though the IRA cannot solve the entire drug pricing problem, it will provide relief to millions of American seniors. Here are its major provisions:
*Empowers Medicare to negotiate prices with drug-makers
*Caps Medicare Part D patients’ annual out-of-pocket payments at $2,000
*Caps the cost of insulin for Part D patients at $35/month
*Penalizes drug-makers for raising prices above the rate of inflation
The IRA’s most historic aspect is the drug price negotiation provision – more modest than originally envisioned, but still extremely significant. At first, only ten drugs will be eligible for negotiations, and new brand-name drugs are excluded. Negotiated prices will not take effect until 2026. But Big Pharma opposed these relatively modest measures, and is currently trying to block them in court.
Undaunted, the Biden administration has been spending the past year fleshing out rules for implementing the Inflation Reduction Act’s drug pricing provisions.
“Starting this year, Medicare will begin to negotiate directly with drug manufacturers to bring down the price of covered high-cost prescription drugs. CMS will announce the first 10 drugs selected for negotiation by September 1, 2023. The first round of negotiations will occur during 2023 and 2024. The prices that are negotiated will be effective starting in 2026.” – Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 6/30/23
In March, CMS released initial guidance on the drug price negotiation process, outlining “how the agency will select drugs for negotiation this year and how those negotiations will be conducted.” At the end of June, CMS released a revised framework, “informed by public input,” for how the government will negotiate with drugmakers on a maximum fair price for selected drugs. This, the agency says, will ensure “that Medicare beneficiaries have access to innovative, life-saving treatments” at a lower cost for patients and for the Medicare program itself.
On July 1st, the Inflation Reduction Act’s cap on insulin costs for Medicare patients went into effect. Beneficiaries will pay no more than $35/month for insulin. Insulin prices had soared nearly 40% from 2014-2018, and patients’ out-of-pocket costs were running from $300 to $1,000 per month. Over the years, we heard heartbreaking stories about diabetics who rationed insulin because of the high cost and ended up gravely ill or dead. In addition to lowering prices, the Inflation Reduction Act can truly be a lifesaver.
The IRA’s cap on out-of-pocket drug costs for Medicare Part D beneficiaries is especially crucial for patients with serious chronic conditions like cancer or multiple sclerosis. As Kaiser Family Foundation reported, out-of-pocket costs for medications to treat those conditions can be staggering – especially for seniors on fixed incomes:
“For example, in 2020, among Part D enrollees without low-income subsidies, average annual out-of-pocket spending for the cancer drug Revlimid was $6,200 $5,700 for the cancer drug Imbruvica; and $4,100 for the MS drug Avonex.” – Kaiser Family Foundation, 1/24/23
Seniors without subsidies will have to continue paying those higher prices until 2025, when the $2,000 out-of-pocket cap takes effect.
The Inflation Reduction Act was an ambitious, wide-ranging piece of legislation that included not only prescription drug pricing reform, but climate change mitigation and measures to make the U.S. more economically competitive in the 21st century.
Not all Americans, let alone, seniors are aware of the historic drug pricing reforms in the Inflation Reduction Act. The Biden administration has been working to enhance the public’s understanding of the law’s positive impact on their pocketbooks and overall health. CMS posts updates on its activities here. And HHS’ Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning & Evaluation (ASPE) has a great informational resource on prescription drug price reform, as well.
Meanwhile, the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, which tirelessly advocated for the prescription drug reforms in the IRA, will continue to keep the pressure on Congress to lower prices for seniors and all Americans.
“We want the number and types of drugs subject to negotiation to be broadened. Eventually we would like to see all drugs subject to Medicare price negotiation,” said NCPSSM legislative director, Dan Adcock. “The door has been opened. Now it’s our job to keep pushing it ever wider so that older Americans can afford the drugs they need to save their lives — and have a better quality of life.”
Philadelphians Flock to NCPSSM/AARP Town Hall on Social Security
More than 150 Philadelphians turned out at Center in the Park for a town hall emphasizing Social Security’s importance to the Black community, co-presented by NCPSSM and AARP Pennsylvania. Attendees learned about their earned benefits and played Social Security-themed games — including Social Security Plinko and “What does Social Security Mean to You?”
The event featured a public forum with panelists Max Richtman (NCPSSM President), Carolyn Colvin (former Social Security Commissioner), and representatives from Community Legal Services of Philadelphia. The town hall portion was moderated by Philadelphia radio personality Frankie Darcell of WDAS-FM.
Attendees included near-seniors (aged 55-65) and workers who have already retired. “I learned many things, from beginning to end,” said Lue D., a retired pharmaceutical manager, who says she appreciated the forum’s debunking of Social Security myths and misinformation. “It reinforced to me that we need the truth about Social Security in order to talk about it more intelligently out in the community.”
Attendees watch the panel discussion on the importance of Social Security
During the public forum, National Committee president and CEO Max Richtman corrected several harmful Social Security myths:
*Social Security is not going bankrupt;
*The trust fund is not full of “worthless IOUs”
*Politicians are not ‘stealing’ from Social Security;
*Undocumented immigrants are not draining the system’s finances.
Without naming names, Richtman said that myths and misinformation “are designed to undermine the support and faith that Americans have in Social Security” by those who wish to cut and privatize the program. Fortunately, he said, “the polling we’ve seen shows 80-90% support for Social Security across the board.”
L-R, Panelists Allison Schilling, Sarah Martinez, Carolyn Colvin, and Max Richtman
The benefit to Black families was a major theme of the forum’s panel discussion. Ava, a retiree in the audience, said that she “hadn’t understood how Social Security helps families” until she attended the event.
Former Social Security Commissioner Colvin (who ran the program under President Obama) explained that, on average, Black workers become disabled earlier and live fewer years than others. Social Security, she said, provides families with disability, spousal, and survivor’s benefits. “The Social Security benefits available to families is extremely important,” Colvin told the audience. “Social Security guarantees benefits for various stages of family experience.”
Former Social Security Commissioner Carolyn Colvin speaks at the town hall
Colvin pointed out that Black retirees rely on Social Security more than their white counterparts, due to job and wage discrimination and other socioeconomic factors. Without Social Security, 50.5% of Black retirees would be living in poverty.
Pennsylvania State Senator Art Haywood kicked off the town hall with a passionate statement of support for Social Security. Haywood, who was raised by a single mom and began working at age 9 as a newspaper delivery boy, said that “Social Security was designed to preserve the dignity” of retirees. “That’s why it’s so important to have this forum… to talk in detail about the fact that Social Security is still there for us.”
PA State Senator Art Haywood: Social Security allows workers to retire “with dignity”
Sarah Martinez and Allison Schilling of Community Legal Services of Philadelphia covered the nitty-gritty details of Social Security and the difference between Social Security retirement benefits, Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) — including the nuances on how to qualify and apply for each program.
Martinez acknowledged that qualifying for SSDI can be difficult, especially given customer service issues at the fiscally struggling Social Security Administration (SSA). “If you’re denied there’s likely a long appeals process. I’ve seen some of these cases go for years, with multiple appeals. The quickest I’ve seen an SSDI appeal resolved in the claimant’s favor is around one year,” she said. (More than 10,000 claimants have died awaiting a hearing on their SSDI appeals.)
A few hours before the town hall began, President Biden named former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley as permanent commissioner for SSA. In a press statement, Richtman praised O’Malley for his support of Social Security as a presidential candidate in 2016. “As a confirmed commissioner, Martin O’Malley will be able to advocate effectively for SSA, which has been chronically underfunded and has struggled to provide adequate customer service,” said Richtman.
Representatives from the regional SSA office and the staffs of U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) and Rep. Dwight Evans (D-PA) were on hand to answer attendees’ personal Social Security questions. Audience member Pat Pinkett, who is still working but nearing Social Security retirement age, said she attended the town hall because many people “have no clue about how Social Security really works. I wanted to come to the source and get the facts!”
Philadelphians packed Center in the Park for the NCPSSM/AARP town hall
The Philadelphia town hall was part of a joint NCPSSM-AARP public education campaign entitled, “Social Security: Here Today, Here Tomorrow,” to better inform Americans about the value of the program to workers and their families. The first town hall took place in Richmond, VA in June. The campaign is coming to Lansing, MI, Las Vegas, NV, and Milwaukee, WI between now and October.
Watch a recording of the entire Philadelphia town hall here.
For more information on the town halls, visit the campaign website www.socialsecurity.org
Rep. Larson Re-introduces His Social Security 2100 Act & Other Top News of the Week
It’s been a busy week for Social Security watchers and advocates. Here are some of the major developments from Washington, D.C.:
Larson Re-Introduces Social Security Expansion Bill
Rep. John Larson on Wednesday re-introduced his Social Security 2100 Act, the sixth time he has offered this legislation. The 2100 Act would boost benefits across the board — and would also provide targeted increases to the most vulnerable seniors; It would replace the current COLA formula with the more accurate (and generous) CPI-E; and it would repeal the wildly unpopular Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO).
Equally importantly, the Larson bill would extend the solvency of the Social Security trust fund, currently projected to become depleted in 2034, for another 32 years – according to an estimate from the program’s Chief Actuary.
The bill pays for expanded benefits and extended solvency by:
- Ensuring millionaires and billionaires pay their fair share by applying FICA to earnings above $400,000, with those extra earnings counted toward benefits at a reduced rate.
- Closing the loophole of avoiding FICA taxes and receiving a lower rate on investment income by adding an additional 12.4% net investment income tax (NIIT) only for taxpayers making over $400,000.
“Seniors across the country rely on Social Security benefits to ensure they can retire with dignity after a lifetime of hard work. It’s been 52 years since Congress has acted to enhance Social Security on their behalf, and while Republicans band together to dismantle the program, Democrats are making it clear they are coming together to both protect and expand Social Security.” – Rep. John Larson (D-CT), 7/12/23
Congressman Larson’s bill has almost 200 cosponsors in the U.S. House.
Senate Committee Holds Hearing on Medicare and Social Security Fair Share Act
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, chair of the Senate Budget Committee, held a hearing this week on his bill, the Medicare and Social Security Fair Share Act. Like Larson’s legislation, Senator Whitehouse’s bill that would require wages above $400,000 to be taxed for Social Security.
“Right now, the cap on Social Security contributions means a tech exec making $1 million effectively stops paying into the program at the end of February, while a schoolteacher making far less contributes their share through every single paycheck all year.” – Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)
Unlike the Larson bill, Senator Whitehouse’s does not expand benefits. Meanwhile, House Republicans have proposed to cut benefits by raising the retirement age, means testing, and adopting a more miserly COLA formula.
2024 Social Security COLA May Be a Paltry 3%
“The COLA is estimated at 3% next year, according to a forecast from The Senior Citizens League, a nonprofit seniors’ group. That’s much less than the four-decade high 8.7% COLA in 2023 but above last month’s estimate for a 2.7% increase for 2024,” reports CNBC.
Most seniors need every dollar of cost-of-living adjustments that they can get, as the cost of essentials like housing, food, and medical care continue to rise. Unfortunately, the current COLA formula does not fully take into account the goods and services that seniors depend on. The National Committee supports the adoption of the CPI-E (Consumer Price Index – Elderly), which is included in Congressman Larson’s bill.
“Social Security was our lifeline” says Richmond Mayor at NCPSSM/AARP Town Hall
The importance of Social Security to the Black Community could not have been clearer in Richmond, VA on Tuesday — at the National Committee’s first town hall of a new public education campaign, “Social Security: Here Today, Here Tomorrow.” The town hall was sponsored by AARP Virginia.
Watch a recorded video stream of the entire Richmond event here.
Some 80 Richmond residents and AARP volunteers filled the Black History Museum & Cultural Center for an evening of Social Security-themed games and a public forum/Q&A. Representatives of the Social Security Administration (SSA) and the office of U.S. Rep. Rob Wittman were on hand to answer questions about attendees’ earned benefits.
The town hall was moderated by WTVR-TV (CBS 6) anchor, Reba Hollingsworth, with panelists including former Social Security Commissioner Carolyn Colvin, NCPSSM President & CEO Max Ricthman, and financial advisor Brandon Byerson.
Social Security Plinko — a fun way to learn about a program of special importance to Black Americans
Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney opened the public forum with an impassioned testimonial about being raised by his grandmother, who was a Social Security beneficiary. “Black individuals rely more on Social Security than other demographics, and my grandmother’s story is a great example of that,” Stoney said. “It truly was our lifeline.” Without Social Security, some 50% of Black Americans would be living in poverty.
Mayor Levar Stoney kicks-off the Richmond town hall, 6/27/23
Commissioner Colvin, who ran the Social Security program during the Obama administration, explained that Black workers especially depend on Social Security because of historically lower wages and dwindling employer-provided pensions. “If you’re dealing with struggling to put food on the table and pay your bills or to deal with health issues, you don’t have money to save towards your retirement,” Colvin said.
National Committee President Max Richtman focused on busting Social Security myths that can undermine public support for the program. “Social Security is not going bankrupt. It will be there for future generations if Congress takes responsible action. And politicians are not ‘stealing from Social Security,’ Richtman pointed out.
He also debunked conservative propaganda that Social Security is a bad deal for younger adults — not only because they will need their retirement benefits even more than current seniors do – but because the average 27 year-old with a spouse and two children already has more than $800,000 worth of insurance coverage from Social Security.
“People think of Social Security as only being for seniors, but let’s remember that it provides life, disability, spousal and survivor’s insurance for Americans of all ages — including millions of children,” said Richtman.
NCPSSM President Max Richtman & Fmr. Social Security Commissioner Carolyn Colvin
The “Social Security: Here Today, Here Tomorrow” campaign is focused on near retirees (people who are not yet eligible for Social Security but will be soon.) As the Richmond-Times Dispatch reported, attendee Michele Rodrigues came to the event to learn more about Social Security before she becomes eligible for benefits:::
Rodrigues got set back financially after losing her job. She said she wants to be ready for a decision on claiming Social Security before she turns 62, the earliest age one can collect retirement benefits. “It’s critical for my retirement,” Rodrigues said. – Gabriela DeCamargo Goncalves, Richmond Times Dispatch, 6/29/23
The public education campaign rolls onward with town halls this summer and early fall in Philadelphia, PA (7/26/23), Lansing, MI (8/28/23), Milwaukee, WI (September TBD), and Las Vegas, NV (October TBD). Visit www.socialsecurityheretoday.org for registration information. Those unable to attend the free town halls in person will be able to watch live video streams of the events.
“We look forward to taking the campaign to these other cities, spreading the word that Social Security is crucial for all Americans — and that it’s so important for workers to understand the program before they become eligible,” says Richtman. “Most of all, we want them to know that Social Security remains strong, and that with action from Congress to enhance the program’s finances and improve benefits, it definitely will be there for them when they need it.”
Watch the “Social Security: Here Today, Here Tomorrow” video here.