They Give With One Hand (And Take With The Other)

For the millions of elderly Americans who are trying to live on nothing more than what they receive each month in their Social Security check, there is some good news -- and some bad news. The good news is that for the first time in three years they will be getting a small raise. The government announced Social Security checks would be raised by the amount of inflation -- about 3.6%. Since the average check is about $1,082 a month (or $12,984 a year), that would mean there will be an average raise of about $39 a month.

That may not seem like much of a raise to you, but when you are trying to live on $1082 a month (or less as many of the elderly do) every dollar helps. And anyone who would begrudge Social Security recipients this tiny raise is obviously not having to live on $1082 a month (which is less than minimum wage).

But the elderly should not count their chickens before they have hatched, because what the government gives with one hand it often wants to take back with the other. In this case, the other hand is the payment for Medicare that is deducted automatically from a Social Security check each month. Currently about $115 a month is deducted as payment for Medicare (Part B premiums). However, the Medicare trustees are going to announce next week what the Part B Medicare premium will be for next year, and it is expected that they will raise the amount deducted from SS checks.

Inflation has been killing Social Security recipients for a couple of years now. The price of food shelter, and other things have been going up, but Social Security checks have not (because gas prices fell so far they made it look like there was no inflation). The elderly really need the pittance of a cost of living adjustment they are scheduled to receive, and they really can't afford for it to be given right back to the government in the form of a Medicare premium raise.

Maybe a premium raise can be justified for those making more than the average Social Security amount, but for those making the average or less the premium payment should stay the same. It's just not fair that our government won't tax the rich sufficiently, but they don't mind taking more money from the elderly.