Advisor editor Mary Johnson estimates that using the chained CPI would cut lifetime Social Security benefits by about 7% over 25 years. New retirees with an average benefit of ,100 in 2010 would receive about ,634 less over a 25-year retirement period. "The financial impact is deceptive, appearing small at first," says TSCL Executive Director, Shannon Benton, "But the cuts compound over time, growing deepest when seniors are the oldest and sickest. By the time seniors are in their late 80's or 90's, when they are most likely to have chronic health problems, monthly benefits would be about 5 lower using the chained CPI.".When you simply claim benefits at age 66, Social Security will "deem" you eligible for both your own retirement benefit, and an ex spouse benefit. You receive your own benefit first, and the balance that you are eligible for as a divorced spouse would make up the difference. But by claiming at 66 you loose the advantage of delayed retirement credits that can boost your benefit by 8% per year from full retirement age to age 70..The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services recently announced that the standard Medicare Part B premium will be 8.50 in 2021, an increase of .90 per month from 4.60 in 2020. That increase, which I earlier feared would be considerably more, was restricted by legislation enacted last fall. But even with legislation to keep the Medicare Part B flat, the Part B premium still went up 2.6% over 2020, twice as much as the annual cost-of-living adjustment. This trend of Medicare costs increasing several times faster than Social Security benefits creates chronic headaches for retirees, as the Medicare Part B premium consumes a growing share of Social Security benefits..too..This year, for the first time in decades, "expanding" Social Security became the platform of a major political party - the Democrats - while both presidential candidates, Clinton and Trump, expressed opposition to any benefit cuts. And lending credibility to the claims, legislation is pending in both the Senate and the House that would provide a boost to Social Security benefits and use a "seniors" CPI, the Consumer Price Index for the Elderly, to determine the annual cost-of-living adjustment. The legislation would finance doing this by lifting the payroll taxable maximum - which is currently capped in 2016 at the first 8,500 in earnings.."But all bets would be off if the current payroll tax system is eliminated, or changed to something else," Johnson says. Getting rid of the payroll tax raises a great many questions as to how benefits would be calculated. Currently, retirement benefits are calculated on the 35 years of highest earnings. "Because wages tend to grow over time, replacing the current system with something else could mean lower benefits," Johnson points out..The report added, "Since the first case arrived in the U.S. at the start of the year, medical professionals have gone from fumbling in the dark to better understanding which drugs work -- such as steroids and blood thinners, and the antiviral medicine remdesivir. Allocation of intensive medical resources have improved. And doctors have learned to hold off on the use of ventilators for some patients, unlike with many other severe respiratory illnesses..Today millions of older women are depending on insufficient Social Security benefits to get them through a retirement that can stretch up to 30 years. Low benefits mean people have to spend more of their retirement savings at a faster pace than anticipated..When you are ready to compare coverage and costs, get a copy of the most recent materials from your current health plan to have on hand. In addition to your current premium and deductible, you will need to know what your current coinsurance or copayments are, and your annual maximum out-of-pocket in order to calculate the "actuarial value" of your plan. To learn whether you qualify and how much credit you will get, contact your state's Health
