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This unusual shift comes at a time when the number of Social Security beneficiaries starting retirement benefits has risen dramatically over the past decade. Since 2010, there has been a sizable 34% increase in the 65 and older population, those born between 1946 and 196The U.S. Census Bureau said in 2019 that "No other age group saw such a fast increase.".A balanced budget amendment to the constitution, like the one that was considered this year, would prohibit the federal government from spending more than it collects in revenues each year. It's a budget gimmick that would essentially make it unconstitutional for Social Security and Medicare to use the trust fund reserves they currently have to pay out benefits, because it would prohibit "borrowing" even when new revenues are insufficient to pay out benefits. Additionally, the federal government would be prohibited from repaying the .7 trillion it currently owes to the Social Security trust funds..Social Security recipients will get 2% cost-of-living adjustment effective January 201But despite it being the largest increase in five years, the news is being met with frustration from millions of retiree households who won't see any of the raise, primarily due to rising Medicare Part B costs..The loss of buying power is an early indicator of whether the Social Security COLA will climb in the following year. Based on consumer price index data through May of this year, we estimate that the COLA for 2019 will be about 3.3%, the highest since 201However, that number could change, since there are still several months of price data to be released before the Social Security Administration announces the COLA in October..Government Shutdown Continues for Fifth Week.By Rick Delaney, Chairman of the Board, TSCL.To ensure the solvency of Social Security for retirees and disabled who live in the U.S. and pay into the system legally, the study makes the following recommendations:.The tax cut, which reduced the Social Security payroll tax for employees from 6.2 percent to 4.2 percent, makes the Social Security trust funds reliant on general revenues and undermines the self-funding nature of the program. Social Security is funded by payroll taxes, and currently faces a billion cash-flow deficit. Extending the tax cut could exacerbate the program's funding issues..Now Medicare Part A is facing insolvency once again, this time around 202Health policy experts are now proposing that the revenues raised by the 3.8% net investment income tax should be "re-directed" to the Part A Trust Fund rather than the federal government's general revenue.