Social Security recipients could receive 8.7% COLA bump in 2023 as inflation soars

[question everything]

Social Security recipients whose checks haven’t kept pace with inflation this year could make up some ground in 2023. The roughly 70 million people – retirees, disabled people and others – who rely on Social Security could receive an 8.7% cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, next year, according to an estimate by Mary Johnson, a policy analyst for the Senior Citizen League, an advocacy group.

That would be the largest increase since 1982.

For the average retiree who got a monthly check of $1,656 this year, the bump would mean an additional $144.10 a month in 2023, boosting the typical payment to $1,800, Johnson estimates.

https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/social-security-recipients-could-see-152913027.html

[at140]

1. But US Treasury is in debt already

And social security has no funds in bank. So where will the raise money come from? Only thing I can think of is higher FICA tax on workers.

[ret5hd]

2. At the beginning of 2022, the SS Trust Fund...

had over $2.8 trillion in its fund

https://www.ssa.gov/policy/trust-funds-summary.html

[Fiendish Thingy]

4. At the present moment, you are wrong.

I believe SS is projected to have insufficient funds around 2040. Not run out of money, but not have enough to meet its monthly obligations. Something will have to change by then- the most obvious is the income cap for withholding. Lifting the cap makes SS solvent indefinitely.

[dixiegrrrrl]

5. As Social Security retire news know, they won't actually get all of any increase.,,,

Just like a regular employment check, there are deductibles that get taken off before the checks are received. Medicare is the biggest hit.
This year, Medicare recipients had to pay $233.00 out of pocket before any Medicare coverage would kick in.
Every month, a Medicare premium is taken out of the check for outpatient medical services. ( called Plan B coverage). It's mandatory deduct. Then we pay 20% of any covered cost we use.
This year it was $170.00 a month for most recipients.
Plan A coverage is mandatory also, it covers being in the hospital.
We have to pay $1,400 out of pocket before it kicks in.
Which means we have to save that amount from our checks to fund a possible hospitalization. Learned that from experience last year.
Good news is some hospitals will do some surgeries and send you home the same day.
Depends on a lot of factors.
Good news is cataract surgery is covered.
No dental that I know of.

Prescriptions are covered under optional plan D. Dunno if there are deductibles, but knowing the monopoly insurance companies have in each state, I would expect so.
That's another whole bag of worms I won't bother to get into.

Bottom line, Plan A hospital coverage has NO monthly premium but a $1400.00 deduct. which may increase in 2023. Which is really the same as a monthly premium cause you have to save up for it.
Plan B is outpatient coverage, annual deduct, monthly premiums, with increases each year. At some point in retirement, most people will be glad they have it.

Plan D for drugs is optional. Mr. Dixie and I have found ways to afford our prescriptions without it, so far.

A COLA in our checks sounds nice, the exact amount won't be public till Oct.
But we've learned not to be overly optimistic.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

7. I have an Advantage plan and I don't have

a $1400 dollar out of pocket before it kicks in. And I'm still, in 2022, only paying $170.00 for Medicare.

I had a heart attack nearly two years ago, four days in the hospital, a stent, and paid under $900.00 for the stay. Not bad.

People here try to trash Advantage Plans, and I honestly find that mine has been excellent.

[Tess49]

10. I have an Advantage plan as well. My experience has been similar to yours. Bilateral cataract

surgery was $250.00 per/eye. I did have to pay a portion of the cost of the necessary eye drops. But still, that included, it amounted to around $400 per eye. A bargain as far as I am concerned.

[Tess49]

6. Any speculation on how much the cost of medicare will rise?

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

8. I read that it will not go up at all.

[Tess49]

9. I thought I read that too. I was hoping it wasn't just wishful thinking on my part.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

11. Plus, even though yes, there are years when the SS increase

is taken up by Medicare increase, most years that doesn't happen.

I've been pleasantly pleased at the increase in my SS over the years.

Also, anyone who collects at the earliest possible age, doesn't understand that increases are as a percentage, and so the smaller the starting number, the lower the increases over the years. I keep on reading that the "break even" point is in the late 70s, but I actually expect it's earlier, given how the increases work.

Personally, I'm very glad I delayed collecting until I was 70.

[Tess49]

12. Wish I could have waited until age 70. Wasn't possible.