Growing signs Social Security, Medicare changes will be part of debt deal

[somone]

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20079911-503544.html

July 15, 2011 5:37 PM
Growing signs Social Security, Medicare changes will be part of debt deal
By Stephanie Condon

Washington leaders gave more indication today that changes to Social Security and Medicare are likely to be part of a potential deal to reduce the deficit and raise the debt ceiling.

President Obama on Friday acknowledged for the first time that he was considering changes to the programs like raising the retirement age or applying means testing.

Additionally, an administration official tells CBS News political analyst John Dickerson that a deal based on Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell's "back up plan" could include a binding commission charged with reviewing the entitlement programs.

The suggestion that changes to Social Security and Medicare are on the table has rankled defenders of the programs, including liberal activists and the nonpartisan senior group AARP. The fact that tinkering with those programs -- undeniably a politically risky move -- appears to be a central part of the debate illustrates the great challenge lawmakers have ahead of them, if they want to reach a deal by August 2.

[SammyWinstonJack]

1. K&R

:grr:

[xchrom]

2. recommend

[SugarShack]

14. Obama has acknowledged for the first time?? Lie! He's BEEN PUSHING FOR IT!

[woo me with science]

3. Of course they will.

And they will be defended here, of course.

[Original_Redstone]

4. Means Testing?

What is "Means Testing"?

[Tennessee Gal]

11. Means testing is already in place for some things.

It is already used as a determination of whether an individual or family is eligible for help from the government.

Means testing SS would involve reducing or eliminating benefits for wealthy and/or high-income participants and beneficiaries. Advocates of means testing note that reducing or eliminating benefits for
those whose income or assets exceed certain thresholds would help preserve Social Security as a safety net for those who truly
need it.

Social Security expenditures could be reduced over the long term by applying a means test to retired workers and their dependents and beneficiaries otherwise eligible for benefits under the current program. Means testing
would reduce or eliminate benefit payments to participants whose current income or assets exceed specified thresholds. There are many ways this could be done. For example:
● An income test could take into account all income or only “wealth-related” income, such as investment income or income from a business;
● Similarly, an asset test could include all assets or exclude widely held assets such as houses and cars;
● The means test could be applied one time when benefits begin or at regular intervals after benefits begin;
● The test could eliminate benefits altogether for those exceeding the threshold, or phase out benefits gradually as income or assets increase beyond the threshold.
● The Medicare reform package enacted by Congress late in 2003 includes means testing provisions, which increase the Part B premium for high-income retirees, and bases the cost to the participant of the new
drug benefit in part on current income and assets.

[enlightenment]

13. Wonder how much the implementation of means testing

will cost the government? Where will the money come from in our cash-strapped government . . . or will they privatize it and give another corporation another avenue for making a tidy profit?

People pay into Social Security. Regardless of how much money they are making or how much they have accumulated, the government does not have the right to simply take what they have paid in. If the government wants to reduce benefits for the wealthy, they should repay what the individual paid in - nothing added. Eliminating their 'benefit' completely is theft.

[dixiegrrrrl]

15. Would you mind telling me where you got the above paragraph of info, pls?

[bluerum]

5. Selling us out to the uber rich and corporate overlords.

[Daphne08]

8. That's exactly what they are doing!

:mad:

[exboyfil]

6. The secret is when I hit 67 to not have

any "means" it appears. Hello retirement at 57. At that age additional work will do little to increase my S.S. benefit since I will have 35 years of good income at that point. I can easily stretch my retirement savings for 10 (or 13 years) if necessary.

Depending on how they structure it, they may find they are not going to get what they desire.

[gateley]

7. If it's political suicide for Obama, why isn't it political suicide for

the Republicans?? THEY'RE the ones all hot to do this! :grr: And, doesn't AARP have a pretty strong lobby? And didn't Pelosi say "we're standing with the Prez and there will be NO changes to SS/Medicare recipients?"

On Friday, I thought he was referring to what he HAD been willing to do, but for some reason I felt that was "off the table" (reading into Pelosi's statement and wishful thinking, I guess).

If this occurs it's even more puzzling since Obama had them up against the ropes.

We'll have to wait and see what actually comes down the pike, but BOTH parties are going to be hurt. Their challengers can run on "I will restore SS and Medicare to how it was before!"

[OHdem10]

12. Here is the TRADITION. TRADITION is like LAW.

No matter what the bill or Legislation;No matter how
significant or insignificant the President always
gets the CREDIT or the BLAME. If it has good results
the President gets credit; if it has bad results
the President gets blame. Example: Nafta was passed
by Bill Clinton with mainly REPUBLICAN Votes in Congress.

In the public's mind Bill Clinton passed Nafta. Here
in Ohio in last election, Kasich and several Congressmen
won their election by turning the Nafta vote on to Bill
Clinton. At least they neutralized the issue and Republicans
won. I am not at all against Trade, but Nafta was passed
with such Free Trade Principles that it is now contributing
mightily to the chronic job loss in this country.

Republicans know this so they try to get as much of
their Fundamentalism passed by a Democratic President.

Since our Party does not get out and sell another world
view, the Republican world view is the only one out
there. Bingo. The Democratic President takes the Credit
or the blame.

This is why I screamed OH NOOOOOOOOOOOOO, the day Obama
put Medicare and SS on the table. ARRP sees the President
uttering those words out of his own mouth. It is hard
now to say it is only Republicans.

[still_one]

9. so they are putting ss and medicare on the table without requiring tax increases for the wealthy?

I am against them touching social security and medicare regardless, but if this is so, it is a total capitulation

Why don't they just raise the CAP?

[Name removed]

10. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[amborin]

16. hopefully more and more people get informed on why this is unacceptable

[nashville_brook]

17. k and r

[blindpig]

18. Nothing to do with the debt but everything to do with.....

changing the social compact as recognized by the New Deal. It is clear that the ruling class always considered it a temporary expedient, unlike the working class which considers it the floor of our existence. Just goes to show who has the control of our society and what they do with this control.

[Lorien]

19. Except for that they won't reduce the deficit because SS never CONTRIBUTED to the

deficit. Can we have some honest journalism for a Change?