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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsSanders: Benefit Increase Too Small for Americans Relying on Social Security
Sanders: Benefit Increase Too Small for Americans Relying on Social Security
Tuesday, October 18, 2016
WASHINGTON, Oct. 18 Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement Tuesday after the Social Security Administration announced a 0.3 percent increase, between $2 and $6, for Americans who receive Social Security benefits:
Seniors and disabled veterans need more help than a few extra dollars in their monthly checks. These are the people who built this country our parents, our grandparents and our soldiers. At a time when senior poverty is going up and more than two-thirds of the elderly population rely on Social Security for more than half of their income, we must do everything we can to expand Social Security. Seniors and disabled veterans deserve a fair cost-of-living adjustment to keep up with the skyrocketing cost of prescription drugs and health care. Unfortunately, the increase announced today doesnt come close to doing that.
Sanders has proposed legislation to boost yearly cost-of-living adjustments by making the consumer price index better reflect rising costs for health care and prescription medicine. Sanders has also cosponsored legislation to give Social Security beneficiaries a one-time, 3.9 percent benefit increase.
http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-benefit-increase-too-small-for-americans-relying-on-social-security
elleng
(130,940 posts)by making the consumer price index better reflect rising costs for health care and prescription medicine. Sanders has also cosponsored legislation to give Social Security beneficiaries a one-time, 3.9 percent benefit increase.'
Lucinda
(31,170 posts)Elwood P Dowd
(11,443 posts)Just a few basic monthly expenses such as food, electricity, cable, insurance, and prescription drugs have gone up for me over $60.00 a month. My SS increase is not enough to buy a cheap pair of socks at Wal Mart.
panader0
(25,816 posts)Not sure what I'll do with all of the extra money.
Why do they call it a cost of living adjustment when it doesn't reflect
the cost of living?
Thank goodness my house and land are paid for.
Elwood P Dowd
(11,443 posts)Seniors and poor people always get the shaft with inflation calculations because we spend a larger percentage of our income on things like food, utilities, prescription drugs, and health care deductibles.....items that are going up in price way above any laughable govt CPI calculation. At least they are in my and in the cases of just about every senior I talk to about this subject.