Lucas Kaplan, Author at NCPSSM

Trump & GOP’s Role in Rising Health Insurance Costs

New reporting shows Affordable Care Act (ACA) premiums are set to spike by an average of 14% in 2027, on top of last year’s double‑digit hike. It’s exactly what you’d expect from a Trump administration that has made life more expensive and health care less secure for the most vulnerable Americans. For millions of Americans who buy coverage on the ACA marketplaces, the story of the past two years is simple: the bill got bigger, the help got smaller, and people are walking away from coverage.

Lucas Kaplan2026-07-22T11:03:02-04:00July 22nd, 2026|Categories: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, healthcare, Medicaid, Medicare, Trump Administration|

Latest Atlantic Piece Ignores the Real Oligarchy

In his latest column for The Atlantic titled “An Oligarchy of Old People,” author Idrees Kahloon correctly identifies a troubling symptom

Lucas Kaplan2026-07-14T16:05:42-04:00July 14th, 2026|Categories: ageism, Equal Time, Medicare, Social Security|

Trump Goes “Down Under” for Latest Privatization Ploy

After turning the page on his self-indulgent USA250 bonanza, marred by extreme heat and disappointing attendance, President Trump has once again set his sights on Americans’ earned retirement benefits. On Monday, he announced that his administration is “working on a plan” to create accounts for adults loosely inspired by Australia’s retirement savings system – and similar to the Trump accounts for children. Our president and CEO Max Richtman told MarketWatch today that Trump should be working on strengthening Social Security instead of “toying around” with federally-seeded private accounts. “We would advise President Trump to focus on Social Security - a program that has worked splendidly for more than 90 years to provide Americans with basic retirement security” - Max Richtman, President and CEO, NCPSSM

Lucas Kaplan2026-07-08T10:08:20-04:00July 7th, 2026|Categories: GOP, President Trump, privatization, Social Security|

Social Security Is Heating up This Summer

Social Security is back in the headlines this summer, driven by both hopeful developments and urgent warnings. In the wake of the Trustees report in June, Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Bernie Moreno (R-OH), announced a bipartisan proposal to adjust the Social Security payroll wage cap and stabilize the program’s revenue ahead of looming insolvency in the early 2030s. Moreno’s participation in a plan to increase Social Security revenue is particularly notable – and is the first of its kind from a Republican on Capitol Hill in recent memory. This is an encouraging signal that protecting Social Security benefits can bring people together across party lines. (Bipartisan majorities of Americans favor increasing revenue flowing into the system instead of reducing benefits, even if it means paying more in Social Security payroll taxes.) It also underscores something advocates have been saying for years: the best way to preserve Social Security is not by cutting it, but by demanding that the wealthiest Americans contribute their fair share.

Lucas Kaplan2026-07-01T15:54:12-04:00July 1st, 2026|Categories: Boost Social Security, Senator Elizabeth Warren, Social Security, Social Security on the Ballot, Social Security Trust Fund|

Fact-Checking the Frankster 2.0

The Trump administration is celebrating Social Security Commissioner Frank Bisignano’s first year on the job with a triumphant press release, hailing the agency as a “premier service organization.” In truth, there isn’t much to celebrate, despite Bisignano’s boasting.

Lucas Kaplan2026-05-13T12:25:45-04:00May 12th, 2026|Categories: Commisioner Bisignano, Politics, Social Security, Social Security Administration (SSA), Social Security Facts, SSA field offices, Uncategorized|

Equal Time: Dudek’s Bizarre Attack on Rep. Larson

Former Acting Social Security Commissioner Leland Dudek must be a skilled contortionist, because he tied himself into knots attacking a true

Lucas Kaplan2026-05-06T12:10:29-04:00May 5th, 2026|Categories: DOGE, Elon Musk, Rep. John Larson, Social Security Administration (SSA), Trump Administration|

Tommy Tuberville Thinks Your Social Security Benefits are a Scam

Last week, Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) showed a blatant disregard for 1.2 million of his constituents who depend on Social Security when he called the program a “scam” in a viral X post. The outburst drew immediate backlash from seniors’ advocates, Democrats, and local media in his home state of Alabama.

Lucas Kaplan2026-04-27T20:02:41-04:00April 23rd, 2026|Categories: Republicans, Senate, Social Security Administration (SSA), Trump Administration|

Trump Throws Medicare, Medicaid Under The Bus for War in Iran

We always knew Trump wasn’t sincere about protecting Medicare and Medicaid. But he just betrayed his own lie by saying that the two programs - which provide 140 million people with health coverage - should NOT EXIST on the federal level. Why? Because defense should be the federal government’s only priority. Trump didn’t run as a libertarian. But his (poorly worded) declaration would make the Cato Institute blush:

Lucas Kaplan2026-04-03T12:57:13-04:00April 3rd, 2026|Categories: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Medicare, President Trump, Uncategorized|

Fortune Columnist Would Rather Cut Social Security Than Make Payroll Wage Cap More Fair

The right-wing barrage of anti-Social Security propaganda continues. In fact, we’re finding ourselves having to shoot down at least one misleading (or misguided) opinion piece every month. Today’s response was provoked by a recent column in Fortune: “Social Security has 6 years left. The fix that sounds cruelest may be the smartest.” Let’s start with the headline. Social Security does not have six years left. The program will go on indefinitely as long as people are working and paying into the system. It’s accurate to say that Social Security’s trust fund reserves will become depleted in some six years — in the unlikely event that Congress takes no pre-emptive action.

Lucas Kaplan2026-03-31T13:14:39-04:00March 31st, 2026|Categories: Equal Time, Social Security, Uncategorized|

Medicare Advantage Is Costing Traditional Medicare Patients Even More Money

t’s more than a little ironic that the for-profit Medicare Advantage program – which was supposed to save everyone money – is actually going to increase costs for people in traditional medicare. Congressional investigators blame this year’s spike in Medicare Part premiums on Medicare Advantage overbilling the government by billions of dollars. Fresh reporting from the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) details how those overpayments translated into an estimated $13.4 billion in extra Part B premiums in 2025 alone. In other words, every person with Part B — including those who do not enroll in Medicare Advantage — is effectively subsidizing excess payments to private insurers. This revelation is only the latest in a series of Medicare Advantage scandals.

Lucas Kaplan2026-03-25T09:43:52-04:00March 24th, 2026|Categories: Medicare, Medicare Advantage|