AARP’s Assessment of 2024 Political Risk to Social Security & Medicare

[GeraldL853888]

I have surveyed the AARP archives and find no articles on the political risk to Social Security and Medicare posed by the current Republican Party’s platform.

As a former Republican I attended a meeting where the guest speaker former Utah  US Representative Jason Chaffitz. I was shocked as he described the current Republican plan to eliminate Social Security and Medicare. 

ASRP is a defacto retired person’s information source. I’m amazed that this issue is not more thoroughly covered since it affects a majority of it’s members.

[GailL1]

Because on this Community Board we are not allowed to discuss anything POLITICAL - read the sticky at the top of the index on this board.

We can discuss health related matters and that would include concepts to help the Government programs of Medicare and Social Security but that type of conversation seems to always end up drifting to the political side.  We can ask questions about specifics under each of the programs.

If AARP does an article or has an advocacy on subjects such as this on the main site of AARP.org then there is usually a comment section open on it - or at least they use to - 

Most of the people here are either already within SS Retirement/Disability or are close to it - so they wouldn't be that affected, if at all - since these proposals you are talking about would be a long way off - I mean it has taken over 30 years to just get the retirement age increased by (2) years - 65 to (soon to be) 67 and I don't think I have heard too much about it happening once the initial shock was over that it was gonna be happening - we just went right along just like time marches on.

It was done because our life expectancy has increased far over what the system initially had in mind when it was passed by FDR.  

For people here even if age 50 - this wouldn't be a big deal IMO because they would probably not be affected but I don't know any proposed dates of implementation if there are any planned thus far.

[GeraldL853888]

If AARP does an article or has an advocacy on subjects such as this on the main site of AARP.org 
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I believe that is the point of my comment- AARP should do an article on the implications.

I would be inclined to believe you about any changes not impacting current retirees on SS & Medicare, but recent events Roe v. Wade gives me reason to believe nothing  is set in stone.

AARP is in fact an advocacy organization is it not?

[GailL1]

Roe v. Wade wasn’t codified - the SS law is very much codified.  

Again I repeat, We can discuss policy or proposed policies here - but most people can’t do that without involving politics or they aren’t interested at all - 

The proposed policy that you are speaking about also calls for means testing Social Security REtirement - by targeting the very highest earners.  

Even you called the proposed plan “ the current Republican plan to eliminate Social Security and Medicare. “.  It doesn’t eliminate them at all - proposals to change them to help them stay in existence longer - yes and the other side has even more ways they want to change SS - 

SSA.gov - Actuary Analysis of Proposals to Change Social Security 

As far as advocacy from the group - they try to influence in a shuttle way AARP.org - Advocacy Social Security but they have other [paid] lobbyist groups which do support their [whatever] viewpoint.  

OpenSecrets.org- AARP Profile - Lobbying

The Medicare Premium Support hasn’t been in the news since 2017 

AARP had it’s views on that too - 

AARP.org- 01/12/2017 - Premium Support and the Impact on Medicare Beneficiaries

I don’t know what the new Premium Support plan looks like yet - will have to research it and decide - We do have to do something about the funding of Medicare (Part A) before about 2033.  For the other parts, they are funded partly by premiums so we can just continue to go up on the premiums.

I wonder when the new SS Trustee Report comes out for this year - in order to see how all this “full employment” has helped the system, if it has.  Should be out any day now.