Social Security & Medicare ~ Not Broken !

Social Security & Medicare...Don`t Mess with It !

Why Destroy the only Programs that work ? In Other words, Do not fix it, if it is not broken ! Social Security & Medicare are Self Sufficient ! Politicians beware, Keep your hands off it !

Proposed Super Committee Cuts Poised to Weaken State and Local Economies.

As the “Super Committee” met on Wednesday, Alliance members and other local advocates from the Strengthen Social Security Campaign – a coalition which includes the Alliance – sprung into action. In states represented by the 12-member Committee, the activists released new reports detailing the projected fall-out resulting from the committee’s proposed cuts to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. Information on the new reports was discussed at press conferences throughout the nation and in Washington, D.C., where the Super Committee met publicly for the first time in a month. Activists showed that the secret Super Committee could make cuts to over $621 Billion in Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid benefits in their states. In the eleven Super Committee states represented, 20.3 million Americans receive Social Security, 18.5 million Americans receive Medicare, and 21.4 million Americans receive Medicaid. Go to http://bit.ly/o7LNqS to view the reports. At a press conference in front of Rep. Jeb Hensarling’s office in Dallas on Thursday, the Texas Alliance unveiled a report, issued jointly with the Strengthen Social Security campaign, detailing the number of Texas Congressional District 5 residents who rely on Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, as well as information on the economic impact and jobs the programs support in Texas. The report was then delivered to the office of Hensarling, who is co-chair of the Super Committee. Alliance members shared their personal stories with the press at similar events this week in Phoenix, Tucson and Scottsdale, Arizona; Columbus, Ohio; and York, Pennsylvania. In California, Maryland, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina, Alliance members also shared their personal stories on tele-conference calls with reporters.

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John Conyers Resolution Gains Attention as More Super Committee Plans Emerge

On Monday, the Strengthen Social Security Campaign sent a letter to House Members urging them to co-sponsor a resolution introduced by Rep. John Conyers (D-MI). The resolution expresses the sense of Congress that the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction should not propose any cuts in benefits to Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid. With respect to Social Security, “No Benefit Cuts” includes no increase in Social Security’s retirement age and no reduction in its cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) by adopting the “Chained CPI” (Consumer Price Index). The letter is at http://bit.ly/sPMFzD. To see how the Chained CPI would harm seniors, go to http://bit.ly/skmv0w. The effort may be coming just in time. According to The Washington Post, Democrats on the joint deficit reduction committee on Tuesday discussed “a plan that would pare the deficit by almost $3 trillion over 10 years through a roughly even mix of spending cuts and revenue increases.” The proposal, presented to the Super Committee by Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) linked additional discretionary appropriations cuts - including some from defense - with about $500 billion in savings from Medicare and Medicaid combined, according to aides familiar with the committee’s deliberations. The package includes cutting Medicare benefits for recipients and changing the Social Security COLA formula to the Chained CPI formula, which will reduce the COLA for beneficiaries immediately. Republicans had a counter proposal that also included the Chained CPI.
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Medicare 2012 Part B Premium and Deductible Announced

On Thursday, HHS and CMS officials announced the 2012 Medicare Part B premium and deductible. Both went down from the 2011 levels. To read the HHS news release - which states that the standard Part B monthly premium for 2012 will be $99.90, only a $3.50 monthly increase for beneficiaries who had been paying $96.40 for the last two years - go to http://1.usa.gov/vDuvdF. The Part B annual deductible in 2012 will be $140, a decrease of $22. “The lower numbers are the result of the improvements made by the Affordable Care Act (You know, Obama Care), and I hope you will remind your friends of that fact,”

Editorial : Remember Those politicians who want to dismantle Social Security and Medicare, come election time ! I know, lets invade another Sovereign Country and finance it out of Social Security Trust Fund !

Deus Meumque Jus