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Senior Citizens May Not Get Social Security COLA for Years Says Kaiser Medicare Brief
Senior Journal ^ | June 29, 2009

Posted on 01/15/2010 6:30:51 AM PST by GailA

Social Security News

Senior Citizens May Not Get Social Security COLA for Years Says Kaiser Medicare Brief

No Social Security increase also means higher Medicare Part B fees for many seniors says the analysis.

June 29, 2009 – Senior citizens are not expected to receive a cost of living adjustment (COLA) in 2010 – for the first time ever. What’s worse, they may not receive an increase for the next three years. And, it keeps getting worse - no COLA means high Medicare Part B premiums for about a quarter of all Medicare beneficiaries, according to an analysis by the the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.

The Medicare Issue Brief, based on the most recent projections of the Medicare and Social Security Trustees, explains the relationship between the Social Security COLA and the Medicare Part B premium, and the implications for those who are covered by both programs.

With Medicare Part B spending expected to continue to increase in the coming years, beneficiary premium contributions are also expected to rise to cover 25 percent of total Part B spending as required by law. Not all Medicare beneficiaries will be affected. About three in four Medicare beneficiaries are protected by a “hold-harmless” provision in the law that ensures that their Medicare premiums do not increase more than any increase in Social Security premiums, according to the report.

Thus, the higher premiums would fall on the remaining one quarter of beneficiaries - with monthly premiums expected to rise from $96.40 this year to $104.20 in 2010 and $120.20 in 2011.

Because most in this group are low-income beneficiaries eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid benefits, Medicaid would pay the cost of the monthly Part B premium, increasing Medicaid costs for states.

Higher-income beneficiaries who are required to pay an income-related surcharge in addition to the monthly Part B premium would also pay the higher rate, as would any new enrollees who did not receive Social Security payments in the previous year and/or were not covered under Part B.

This issue brief was prepared by Tricia Neuman and Juliette Cubanski of the Kaiser FamilyFoundation. Lisa Potetz of Health Policy Alternatives provided http://www.kff.org/medicare/upload/7912.pdf

Link to brief


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Front Page News; Government; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 2010; aarp; agenda; bho44; bhoeconomy; bhohealthcare; democrats; donttalkcost; economy; elections; healthcare; healthinsurance; hopeychangey; medicare; medicarepartb; obamacare; obamacarecost; seniorcitizens; seniors; socializedmedicine; socialsecurity; ss; taxes
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Link to Scott Brown, dems want to cut Military Tricare health insurance

Link to Scott Brown debate, dems want to cut Military Tricare health insurance

No COLA raise for Seniors, No COLA raise for retired Military, cuts to Medicare and Tricare, we families who depend on Tricare for our secondary health insurance after our spouses spent 20 or more years serving their country are going to be getting double screwed with the cuts and increases in premiums and fees.

In the Hannity interview the remark went totally over Hannity's head. I don't think any of the talk radio host know what Tricare is!

TRI CARE FOR LIFE This from a google search:

Link to Tricare cuts

This option would help reduce the costs of TFL, as well as costs for Medicare, by introducing minimum out-of pocket requirements for beneficiaries. Under this option, TFL would not cover any of the first $525 of an enrollee’s cost-sharing liabilities for calendar year 2011 and would limit coverage to 50 percent of the next $4,725 in Medicare cost sharing that the beneficiary incurred. (Because all further cost sharing would be covered by TFL, enrollees could not pay more than $2,888 in cost sharing in that year.)

Link to pdf

November 6, 2009 | Rep Buyer and Rep McKeon

Link to article

Bill Would Restrict Veterans’ Health Care Options

Buyer and McKeon Offer Amendments to Protect Veterans and TRICARE Beneficiaries

1 posted on 01/15/2010 6:30:53 AM PST by GailA
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To: GailA

The lesson here is, live by the government, die by the government.

Meanwhile, the Obama Administration is making sweetheart deals with unions to get its execrable pile-of-junk healthcare bill passed.


2 posted on 01/15/2010 6:34:07 AM PST by popdonnelly (Yes, we disagree - no, we won't shut up - no, we won't quit.)
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To: GailA
All Ponzi schemes fall apart eventually.
3 posted on 01/15/2010 6:35:25 AM PST by ClearCase_guy (We have the 1st so that we can call on people to rebel. We have 2nd so that they can.)
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To: GailA

Ole Matt said last June that it would be 2 years, obviously they are planning for a huge inflation rate for the next 3 years.

Plan on cutting the budget by cutting the benes for SS/Military, BUT does this apply to FED EMPLOYEES.
Wonder if only “working” FED employees get an increase.
LIKE CONGRESS.
Anyone know the answer to this one.


4 posted on 01/15/2010 6:37:16 AM PST by Marty62 (former Marty60)
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To: GailA

How can this be? Wasn’t it the Democrats that said we have to beware of the Republicans who would take benefits from seniors? Now the Democrats have done it? /s


5 posted on 01/15/2010 6:37:20 AM PST by ThePatriotsFlag (http://www.thepatriotsflag.com - The Patriot's Flag)
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To: GailA

But I’ll bet that al federal government employees and retirees will receive their 3% annual raises and increasess!!!


6 posted on 01/15/2010 6:37:29 AM PST by Uncle Chip (TRUTH : Ignore it. Deride it. Allegorize it. Interpret it. But you can't ESCAPE it.)
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To: popdonnelly
I would also expect congress to take their increases every year.
7 posted on 01/15/2010 6:38:09 AM PST by Recon Dad ( USMC SSgt Patrick O - 3rd Afghanistan Deployment - Day 87)
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To: Uncle Chip
But I’ll bet that al federal government employees and retirees will receive their 3% annual raises and increasess!!!

You lose. I am a retired federal employee. Our COLAs are tied directly the CPI-W figures just like SS. We get the same increases or lack thereof. No raise this year and probably none next year at a minimum. Active federal employees use a different system for the computation of their increases, which amount to 2% this year.

8 posted on 01/15/2010 6:42:25 AM PST by kabar
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To: GailA
Thus, the higher premiums would fall on the remaining one quarter of beneficiaries - with monthly premiums expected to rise from $96.40 this year to $104.20 in 2010 and $120.20 in 2011.

NOT TRUE!!!

I turn 65 next month. I have already been informed by the SSA that my premiums for Medicare Pt. B will be $110.50/mo. The SSA also says that after they contact the IRS, this amount may increase (retro-actively to Feb.1) depending on my total income.

I'm not complaining about not getting COLA or the amount of my Medicare premiums, just stating a fact.

9 posted on 01/15/2010 6:42:34 AM PST by Roccus (ABLE DANGER?????...................What's an ABLE DANGER???)
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To: GailA
When I read the headline what first came to mind was all of those seniors cheering on “The One” for hope and change during the Presidential campaign.
10 posted on 01/15/2010 6:45:24 AM PST by ladyvet (WOLVERINES!!!!!)
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To: GailA

If these morons in Congress can deny Seniors their Cola raises then they better roll back any recent raises and any future raises for themselves.

Vote all of them out on the street, NO Pay, NO Pensions, No Health Care,NOTHING !!


11 posted on 01/15/2010 6:51:22 AM PST by chatham
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To: Marty62
Fed employees just got a pay raise, and congress gets one automatically each year plus extra perks. And it is not a tiny raise like they give SS, disabled Vets, retired Military and disabled on SS.

It's just not the benefit cuts, it's the fee hikes along with the inflation that will really put the squeeze on us seniors. We are already feeling the pinch with increased cost of living for food, gas etc. Along with the pay cut while small $10.80 with the income tax fiddling the demwits did we've had to cut corners where ever we can.

And when seniors have less available extra cash then they don't contribute to church or charities, give presents to grand kids, etc....snowball effect on the economy.

I planted a veggie garden last year and intend to expand it this year. The old Victory Garden...home owner's association can go fly a kite, if they don't like it. I hid the green beans in behind the azeleas out front and on the side of the house. We have a huge hill for a back yard.

12 posted on 01/15/2010 6:55:25 AM PST by GailA (obamacare paid for by cuts & taxes on most vulnerable Veterans, disabled,seniors & retired Military)
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To: ladyvet
When I read the headline what first came to mind was all of those seniors cheering on “The One” for hope and change during the Presidential campaign.

You should be remembering younger voters, because the seniors voted republican.

13 posted on 01/15/2010 6:55:26 AM PST by ansel12 (anti SoCon. Earl Warren's court 1953-1969, libertarian hero, anti social conservative loser.)
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To: Roccus

This is a report on the Kaiser Foundation report, and we all know how LEFT wing the Kaiser Foundation is, they may have just been conservative in their math, and it was done in June, a lot has changed in the last couple of months.


14 posted on 01/15/2010 6:58:50 AM PST by GailA (obamacare paid for by cuts & taxes on most vulnerable Veterans, disabled,seniors & retired Military)
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To: ladyvet

Yes. I suspect the majority of Seniors voted for Zero. I am so sorry that they weren’t more curious about what he would REALLY do in office, instead of what he SAID he would do. Those of us who looked beneath the smarmy veneer KNEW what was coming with Zero.


15 posted on 01/15/2010 7:03:44 AM PST by originalbuckeye
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To: ansel12

“because the seniors voted republican. “

You live in a dream world!

My polling place is in a senior community and 65% of them are democrap!

The biggest percentage of seniors over 70 are democrap.


16 posted on 01/15/2010 7:09:40 AM PST by dalereed
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To: GailA

I remember during the 2nd worst Presidents aftermath. A SS eligible woman was living in her home alone.
Her daughter would come over to check on her. She would always check her cabinets and fidge to make sure she had plenty of food.
She collapsed one day and a neighbor called the ems.
When the Doc told her that her Mother was suffering from MALNUTRITION, she couldn’t believe it.
When she went to her home she found that her Mother had neatly placed the empty boxes neatly back in the Cabinets.
Empty milk cartons in the fridge etc.

Expect muchh more of this type of thing happening.
My question is, will they get medical care? Useless eaters you know.


17 posted on 01/15/2010 7:11:12 AM PST by Marty62 (former Marty60)
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To: ansel12
...because the seniors voted republican.

How can you say that? There's plenty of Democratic seniors. I expected most of the youth vote to go to the shiny new object but the seniors should have known better.

18 posted on 01/15/2010 7:16:44 AM PST by ladyvet (WOLVERINES!!!!!)
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To: ThePatriotsFlag
How can this be? Wasn’t it the Democrats that said we have to beware of the Republicans who would take benefits from seniors? Now the Democrats have done it?

Needs to be repeated every 30 minutes!

Thanks TPF!!

19 posted on 01/15/2010 7:18:45 AM PST by Budge (Who will protect us from the protectors?)
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To: originalbuckeye
Yes. I suspect the majority of Seniors voted for Zero.

No they didn't. The following is pulled from a left-of-center site, but there's plenty more out there that can be collaborated on a quick search:

Election Day was full of historic results for Barack Obama. But his performance among seniors (age 65 and over) provided one of the few lower points, as exit polls show that Obama lost to John McCain among seniors 45 to 53 percent. According to the exit polls, while Obama made gains with nearly all groups compared to John Kerry, this did not happen with seniors.


20 posted on 01/15/2010 7:24:34 AM PST by browardchad ("Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own fact." - Daniel P Moynihan)
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