Our nation faces an urgent crisis: as middle-class families increasingly are squeezed by stagnant wages and rising costs, the dream of a secure retirement is slipping away..When food and other important costs rise faster than the Social Security COLA, that means that retirees aren't able to purchase as much with their benefits. This can lead to older consumers going without essentials. Research by Johnson has found that Social Security benefits have lost 30% of buying power since 2000. "We encourage everyone to consider who you may know that might need help with food costs," Johnson says "Perhaps you can drop off a few groceries, or share your next batch of home - made soups, chili, or stews with others you know," Johnson adds. "Mercifully, this list of prices will likely change in time, especially as we get COVID-19 under control and people return to work," Johnson says..table-2."'It's modest in terms of efficacy. It's [statistically] significant, but it may not be observable by the family or caregiver or even the physician,'" he said. "'I would tell them this is not a cure - something to set the expectation that this is likely not going to be a dramatic improvement, but this could be something more subtle.'".With about 1 million supporters, The Senior Citizens League is one of the nation's largest nonpartisan seniors groups. Located just outside Washington, D.C., its mission is to promote and assist members and supporters, to educate and alert senior citizens about their rights and freedoms as U.S. Citizens, and to protect and defend the benefits senior citizens have earned and paid for. The Senior Citizens League is a proud affiliate of TREA The Enlisted Association. Please visit or call for more information..For example, if you and your spouse were over the age of 65 in 2016 and had an AGI of ,000, you could deduct the amount of allowable medical expenses over ,750, which is 7.5% of ,000. If your total medical expenses were ,000 you could deduct ,250."Hearing On The Effects Of COVID-19 On Social Security," Testimony of Stephen C. Goss, Chief Actuary, Social Security Administration, House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Social Security, July 17, 2020. "Biden Has Promised To Reform Social Security - Some Changes Could Come As Soon As This Year," Lorie Konish, CNBC, January 23, 2021..check-ups. Often, it's insidiously hard to tell whether a problem really is.Medicare Part B premiums jumped .10 per month in 2020 - one of the biggest increases in recent years. While the Social Security cost-of-living adjustment increased benefits by 1.6 percent in 2020, Medicare Part B premiums climbed 6.7 percent, more than four times faster. A jump of this size can put older household budgets into a bind, forcing retirees to go without essentials when they run short before their next Social Security check.
