via twitter.
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Asked Monday if the Trump administration would address “entitlement reform,” White House chief economic advisor Larry Kudlow said it will “probably” look at “larger entitlements” next year. Entitlement reform generally refers to changes or cuts to large government social programs such as Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid or food stamps.
via CNBC.
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Trump Advisor Re-Affirms Commitment to Cutting Social Security & Medicare.
- This aligns with comments from National Republican Congressional Committee chair, Rep. Steve Stivers, House Speaker Paul Ryan, and several other key GOP members about the need to pay for last year’s tax cuts by ‘reforming’ Social Security and Medicare. ‘Reforming,’ of course, means cutting and privatizing.
Some in Washington talk about a need for “entitlement reform.” That translates to possible cuts to Social Security, Medicare, or Medicaid — or all three. One crucial element should not be missed: These safety net programs work in tandem. Changes to one affect another. Just-released data show this is particularly true for older Americans, whose financial and health security depend on these programs working in concert.
A new report from the Kaiser Family Foundation lays bare this interdependence. Nearly three-quarters of retirees see little to no annual increase in their Social Security income after they pay their Medicare hospital and drug premiums.
Read more from this article via The Hill.
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“It was a shock when my husband died,” said Mrs. Brown, who thought she had a pretty good understanding of the system after three decades working in the savings and loan industry and then volunteering in retirement at a group that supports shoring up Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. “But after they applied the Social Security formula, which is rather complicated, to my situation, the next shock was learning that the benefits would be cut 25 percent.”
via New York Times.
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- Women’s Social Security Benefits via Eleanor’s Hope.
- As more women entered the workforce in the second half of the twentieth
century, their contribution to total household income increased.
However, Social Security rules have not been updated to reflect this
societal change. Consequently this increased share of household income
contributed by wives will not result in higher widows’ benefits. On the
contrary, more widows will experience a reduction approaching 50 percent
of household income.
In a New Hampshire speech, New Jersey’s GOP governor proposed an overhaul of Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare that would reduce benefits for some retired seniors, eliminating them entirely for individuals with income over $200,000 and raising the retirement age to 69.
via NJ Today.
This isn’t anything new. Christie is very vocal when it comes to earned benefits.
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However, some conservatives in Congress insist that relief for programs like the Older Americans Act be paid for by cutting Medicare and Medicaid. This budgetary sleight-of-hand could trade partial relief for some seniors’ programs by cutting other essential health security programs like Medicare and Medicaid, thus further eroding the tenuous economic situation many older Americans face.
Max Richtman via Huffington Post.
This year marks the 50th anniversaries of Medicare and Medicaid and the 80th anniversary of Social Security. Fifty-seven percent of people on Medicare, 70 percent of adults on Medicaid and 56 percent of Social Security recipients (66 percent of those over 85) are women. Together, Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid provide critical health and financial security.
via Huffington Post.
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- Women and Social Security.
- While Social Security is a program that is vitally important to all Americans, it is especially important to the financial security of women. There are a number of reasons why this is so. First of all, women live longer than men.
- Medicare and Women.
- Medicare, combined with Social Security, has improved the economic status of older Americans and younger people with disabilities. Prior to Medicare, one - half of older Americans were uninsured and one - third were living in poverty. Today, with access to health care coverage, the poverty rate for seniors is nine percent.
- Women and the Retirement Savings Gap.
- Older women have significantly lower retirement benefits than men.
Millions of current and future retirees were no doubt hoping that President Trump would use last night’s speech to Congress to reaffirm his promises not to touch Social Security and Medicare. Instead, the President ducked and covered. He did not even utter the words “Social Security” or “Medicare” in his entire hour-long address. As for Medicaid – which millions of American seniors rely upon for skilled nursing care – the President only touched on it once, with a veiled reference to converting guaranteed benefits into block grants, which would hurt beneficiaries.
via Entitled to Know.
Mulvaney, who supports Social Security and Medicare reforms, told CNBC ‘we’re working on’ persuading Trump to embrace entitlement reform, including changes to Social Security Disability Insurance.
BREAKING:
For example, the document seeks a commitment from the next speaker to tie any increase in the debt ceiling to cuts to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.
via Think Progress.
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The House GOP has its eyes on Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.
Let’s not forget about the first day of the 114th Congress.
‘Entitlement Reform’ and Medicaid
Front and center in any discussion of entitlement reform is the future of Medicaid, which is a larger program than Medicare and which dodged more bullets in 2017 than anytime in its 52-year history. But opponents of Medicaid are just reloading.
Nearly one in five Americans — 74 million people — rely on Medicaid to stay healthy and independent. Federal law guarantees Medicaid coverage to pregnant women, children, elderly and disabled people under certain income levels.
The two most common proposals for Medicaid through “entitlement reform” are to block grant it to the states or impose a per-capita spending limit on the program. Both have real dangers for those who rely on the Medicaid.
via Next Avenue.
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After Passing Senate Tax Bill, GOP to Target Seniors’ Earned Benefits.
- We can now safely say that seniors should take Republicans’ word for it: After giving the wealthy and profitable corporations a multi-trillion-dollar holiday gift, Congress will take an axe to programs Americans have paid into for the entire working lives.
How House and Senate Tax Legislation Affects Seniors.
- The tax legislation would leave Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security vulnerable to benefit cuts because of its dramatic $1.5 trillion increase in the public debt – an increase that will have to be offset in the future.
- Inevitably, older Americans and people with disabilities will be forced to pay a heavy price for this irresponsible legislation.