Social Security

Should State Long-Term Care Insurance Funds Invest In Stocks?

California’s evolving effort to build a public long-term care insurance program includes an important, and potentially far-reaching, feature: The insurance fund would be allowed to invest some assets in stocks. This would be a dramatic change for both social insurance and long-term care insurance. For example, Social Security is allowed to invest only in Treasury bonds. Regulators require private long-term [...]

By |2023-06-22T13:46:52-04:00June 22nd, 2023|long-term care insurance|0 Comments

The Worldwide Debate Over Raising The Retirement Age

In the U.S., some Republican lawmakers are proposing  to raise the age of eligibility for full Social Security benefits, provoking withering criticism from President Biden and many Democrats. But the debate over when government should begin paying retirement benefits isn’t just a controversy here. It is happening all over the world. French President Emmanuel Macron has proposed gradually raising the [...]

By |2023-03-15T11:20:25-04:00March 15th, 2023|Social Security|0 Comments

What Will The Mid-Term Elections Mean For Seniors And Their Families?

What will last Tuesday’s election mean for older adults and their families? A slim Democratic majority in the Senate combined with what is likely to be narrow Republican control of the House likely means no new legislative initiatives will pass Congress in 2023. The Biden Administration’s ambitious plan to support frail older adults and their families is dead, at least [...]

By |2022-11-16T10:42:53-05:00November 16th, 2022|Federal senior services programs|0 Comments

Politicians Arguing Again About Social Security. That’s Good

Suddenly, Social Security reform is back in the news. For all the wrong reasons, perhaps. But at least politicians are talking about it. And that’s a good thing. After all, in only about a dozen years, the Social Security Old Age trust fund will be insolvent and able to pay only about three-quarters of its promised benefits. Despite that looming [...]

By |2022-10-26T11:21:12-04:00October 26th, 2022|Social Security|0 Comments

Biden Proposed Raising Social Security Payroll Taxes By $740 Billion…And Still Got Elected President

An amazing thing happened in this year’s presidential election. A major party candidate proposed raising Social Security payroll taxes. And won.  More than that, it was never even an issue. What ever happened to Social Security being the third rail of American politics? The candidate, of course, was Joe Biden. He proposed a quite detailed plan for reforming Social Security [...]

By |2020-11-17T11:45:41-05:00November 17th, 2020|Social Security|0 Comments

What Will Biden Do For Seniors?

In his campaign, President-elect Joe Biden promised a wide range of policy changes aimed at supporting older adults, including paid leave and tax credits for families caring for older adults, significantly more funding for Medicaid community-based long-term services and supports, and significant reforms to Social Security The question will be how much can he get done, given other priorities and [...]

By |2020-11-10T11:06:46-05:00November 10th, 2020|Joe Biden|0 Comments

What Biden And Trump Would Mean For Older Voters

As with so many issues, there is a major gulf between President Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden when it comes to issues that directly affect older adults. Biden has proposed a long list of specific proposals. Trump has said remarkably little about what he’d do in a second term, and that silence extends to programs that affect seniors. [...]

By |2020-10-26T13:54:56-04:00October 26th, 2020|campaign 2020|0 Comments

Why Won’t Congress Ease Medicare Enrollment For Those Not Yet Taking Social Security?

You are turning 65. But-- like 40 percent of other 65-year-olds-- you have not yet claimed your Social Security benefits. For many older adults, that choice makes good financial sense. Except for one problem: You may find yourself getting hit with big penalties for failing to enroll in Medicare.  Why? Because you probably didn’t know you had to. Congress could [...]

By |2020-01-10T09:36:19-05:00January 10th, 2020|Medicare|11 Comments

The Federal Government Will Spend Half Its Budget On Older Adults In Ten Years

In 10 years, the federal government will spend half its budget (not counting interest on the debt) on those aged 65 and older. The inexorable aging of the Baby Boom generation means that a growing share of federal spending will be used to support older adults—mostly for health care and retirement benefits. As CBO importantly notes, it is misleading to [...]

By |2019-02-01T09:25:16-05:00February 1st, 2019|Aging|0 Comments