Will President Obama sell Out US Seniors and our children for a Deal with the Republicans?

Salivating Over Social Security Cuts

Dear Global Action on Aging Friends,

Wherever you live, please note the very real possibility that President Obama will seriously weaken or even destroy the Social Security Program for a "deal" with Republicans over the US Budget.  Not only will such action undercut the modest living standard of US elders but it also threatens young workers who have contributed to the program since they entered the workforce. 

Mind you, US citizens have already seen the Federal Government "borrow" from Social Security to support other programs--and failed to re-pay the debt.  Read excerpts from Robert Reich's Blog (April 10, 2013) for the full story:

ohn Boehner, Speaker of the House, revealed why it's politically naive for the President to offer up cuts in Social Security in the hope of getting Republicans to close some tax loopholes for the rich. "If the President believes these modest entitlement savings are needed to help shore up these programs, there's no reason they should be held hostage for more tax hikes,” Boehner said in a statement released Friday.

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor agreed. He said on CNBC he didn't understand "why we just don't see the White House come forward and do the things that we agree on” such as cutting Social Security, without additional tax increases.

Get it? The Republican leadership is already salivating over the President's proposed Social Security cut. They've been wanting to cut Social Security for years.

But they won't agree to close tax loopholes for the rich.

They're already characterizing the President's plan as a way to "save” Social Security - even though the cuts would undermine it - and they're embracing it as an act of "bi-partisanship.”

"I'm encouraged by any steps that President Obama is taking to save and preserve Social Security,” cooed Texas Republican firebrand Ted Cruz. "I think it should be a bipartisan priority to strengthen Social Security and Medicare to preserve the benefits for existing seniors.”

Oh, please.

And the day Ted Cruz agrees to raise taxes on the wealthy or even close a tax loophole will be when Texas freezes over.

The President is scheduled to dine with a dozen Senate Republicans Wednesday night. Among those attending will be John Boozman of Arkansas, who has already praised Obama for "starting to throw things on the table,” like the Social Security cuts.

That's exactly the problem. The President throws things on the table before the Republicans have even sat down for dinner.

The President's predilection for negotiating with himself is not new. But his willingness to do it with Social Security, the government's most popular program - which Democrats have protected from Republican assaults for almost eighty years - doesn't bode well.

The President desperately wants a "grand bargain” on the deficit. Republicans know he does. Watch your wallets.

GAA Readers:  Write the President and your Congressional Representatives to protest!  Organize a Demonstration (with your family and friends in your Community) demanding a stop to this disastrous plan to ruin US Social Security! Take action to alert citizens, young and old! 

Susanne Paul for Global Action on Aging

Getting Older? Start Exercising!

Reuters News reports that America's ageing population is posing special challenges. Why?  Fitness experts say it is difficult to design effective workout routines for people with such a wide range of abilities. For one 70-year-old, the goal may be to run a marathon; for another it's getting out of a chair.  And more people join the "older" ranks every day.  The US older population grew from 3 million in 1900 to 40 million in 2010.

Experts say that older adults should be doing aerobic activity to help maintain body weight, strengthening exercises to develop and maintain muscle mass and some type of flexibility training.  Physical activity can reduce the risk of diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and osteoporosis and improve the quality of life by maintaining functional capacity, such as the ability to climb stairs, open doors, and carry groceries.

Mary Ann Wilson is the creator and host of the program, "Sit and Be Fit," that includes warm-up, circulation and strength segments, a finger segment (for stiffness), standing for balance, and relaxation.  Posture, breathing, balance, cognitive functioning and reaction time are among the most important—and neglected—components of elder fitness, she said.

Karen Peterson, author of "Move with Balance: Healthy Aging Activities for Brain and Body," stresses a mind-body approach in workouts with seniors.  Her exercises include tossing a bean bag to improve reaction time, walking a figure-eight pattern for balance, as well as eye stretches, jaw relaxers and cognitive challenges to keep body and mind alert.  "We take balance exercises and add conversation or math problems," she said. "The concept is to always progress, always get more challenging." 

Experts agree that it's never too late to do something to improve our physical well-being. "Exercise is effective even in the most frail individual," Wilson said. "If they can wiggle their toes, they can exercise."

See you at Gym!  Susanne Paul for Global Action on Aging

US Social Security Must be Protected

Today, March 31, 2013, the New York Times Editorial Board argued why President Obama must keep hands off US Social Security in any deficit reduction strategy.  Here are extracts of the Editorial Board's argument.

       

"In last year’s “fiscal cliff” debate, President Obama offered to reduce the annual cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, for Social Security benefits, a spending cut favored by Republicans and scorned by Democrats. Republicans rejected the offer because Mr. Obama wanted tax increases in exchange, while Democrats said it would be too harmful. More recently, Senate Democrats did not include Social Security reforms in their budget and specifically rejected a COLA cut. The House Republican budget also steered clear of explicit cuts to Social Security, a move partly aimed at isolating Mr. Obama.

The question now is whether Mr. Obama will again propose to cut the COLA when he unveils his budget next week. We think he should not do so. The president might want to seem like he is willing to compromise by renewing his call for a COLA cut. But Republicans already spurned his offer and are unlikely to take him up on it now. They are more likely to paint him as a foe of Social Security, which would be reinforced by Democrats’ opposition to the cut.

       

Even if Mr. Obama avoided those pitfalls, a COLA cut is a bad idea, as we will explain in this editorial. It also is a distraction from the real problems of Social Security.

       

WHAT IS THE PROBLEM WITH SOCIAL SECURITY? The answer is a long-term shortfall. Social Security plans for solvency over 75 years, but because of demographic pressures and the weak economy, it is currently solvent only until 2033. After that, without reforms, it would pay about 75 percent of promised benefits.

Meanwhile, the nation is having a retirement crisis. Even before the recession, people had not saved enough to make up for the loss of traditional pensions. The downturn and slow recovery have made things worse. Less than half of households ages 55 to 64 have retirement savings, and of those, half have less than $120,000. Many near-retirees also have lost home equity or a job.

All that will leave most retirees heavily reliant on Social Security, which currently pays a modest benefit, on average, of $1,265 a month. Already, the majority of retirees — with annual incomes up to $32,600 — get two-thirds to all of their income from Social Security.

Even at higher incomes, up to $57,960, Social Security is the single biggest source, accounting for almost half. Only the top fifth of seniors, with incomes above $57,960, do not rely on Social Security as their largest source of income; most of them are still working.

Going forward, there is no escaping the reality that Social Security will be more vital than ever. To save it, we need consensus on direction and principles, among Democrats and across the aisle, along these lines:

       

SHOULD IT BE USED FOR DEFICIT REDUCTION? This is part of a larger question about whether any deficit reduction is appropriate when the economy is weak and unemployment high. The short answer to both questions is no. But as long as the deficit occupies center stage, the best approach would be for politicians to debate, and even agree, on spending cuts and tax increases to take effect as the economy strengthens.

Social Security reforms should be decided separately because the program is not driving the deficit. That distinction goes to chronic revenue shortfalls and rising health costs that propel spending on Medicare and Medicaid. Social Security did not cause today’s deficits, because the payroll taxes that support it have been more than adequate; and it will not contribute to future debt, because it is barred from spending more than it takes in.

The reason Social Security is wrapped up in the political budget debate is that government deficit projections assume Social Security will always pay promised benefits in full, even though the system is expected to run short in 20 years. That shortfall is reflected in deficit projections, so reducing it would improve the budget outlook.

The answer is to address Social Security’s problems, not to conflate reforms with the broader deficit reduction efforts.

      

HOW SHOULD SOCIAL SECURITY BE REFORMED? The drive to cut the COLA is based on the premise that the inflation gauge used to compute the adjustment overstates the rising cost of living. That is a flawed premise. A good case can be made that the gauge is an inaccurate way to track inflation for working-age people, but there is no empirical evidence that it overstates inflation among retirees, who tend to spend more on health care and other necessities for which there are few, if any, cheaper substitutes.

To ensure that the system is paying proper COLAs, Congress should instruct the Bureau of Labor Statistics to develop a statistically rigorous index of inflation among retirees. Until that is done, cutting the COLA on grounds that it is too large would be unjustified and disingenuous.

In the meantime, the debate over reforming Social Security will come down to tax increases versus benefit cuts. With retirements at risk, reducing benefits is dangerous, though trimming benefits for upper-income recipients, who live longer and draw larger benefits, could close about 10 percent of the system’s long-term funding gap.

Another overdue reform, which would close about a third of the gap, is to raise the level of wages subject to Social Security payroll tax to about $200,000 from the current $113,700. That would bring the taxable wage base in line with rising incomes among top earners.

A sensible change is to raise the payroll tax rate, currently 6.2 percent for both workers and employers. The rate has not been raised since 1990. A one percentage point increase could be phased in over 20 years and still raise enough revenue to close about half of the funding gap."

Global Action on Aging would also urge the US Government to pay interest on the funds that it has borrowed over the years from the Social Security system.  Surely that's fair!  

     

As the NYTimes concludes: "It is imperative that the frenzy that passes these days for deficit debate not engulf Social Security. There are rational and acceptable fixes to the program that could preserve it for generations to come, if political will can be found to enact them."      

Geneva Association's Pension Proposals

 

Participants at Geneva Association Conference Strongly Endorse the Four Pillars Concept 

by Krzysztof Ostaszewski+

Global Action on Aging urges you to consider some responses from participants at the December 2012 Geneva Association conference on the Four Pillar System.  Recipients received a short questionnaire asking their views on some key issues concerning the current and future situation of global retirement systems. Here are some questions and answers that will interest you.

A.  Are there any challenges to global retirement systems that are still going unnoticed?

B. Where will the solutions to the global retirement crisis come from?

C.  What are necessary changes in the workplace to make employment of silver (older)  workers effective, productive and beneficial to both employers and employees?

D. If you were to give advice to political decision-makers, insurance firms, pension plans and individuals (current and future retirees) in order to address the global retirement systems' challenges, what would you advise each to these groups?
 

In response to Question A, the participants chose “global ageing and increasing longevity” as the top challenge but a close second was "public finance and financial repression."

 

Other concerns listed were "low interest rates and low economic growth," "increasingly intrusive and productive regulation," "individual myopia," and "decreased willingness to engage in solidarity systems."
In response to Question B, the top choice was “breakup of the European Union or other significant political dislocation,” with “liability issues” as a close second; “insufficient disclosure of information to citizens” was also mentioned.

The clear winner among the answers to Question C was: “continued employment of the elderly and a flexible labour market,” i.e. the fourth pillar, as proposed by The Geneva Association and its Life and Pensions programme.  . . . . . "

We hope that political decision-makers will hear this message. Participants also, though far less strongly, endorsed financial innovation from insurance firms and private pensions, as well as programmes created by governments, as possible solutions to the retirement challenge.

In response to Question D, again, the winner was very clear: “tax and regulatory incentives to employers for the employment of ‘silver workers.” The second most common answer was: “removal of regulatory and tax barriers to employment of silver workers,” another endorsement of the role of the fourth pillar. 

Here are some examples of advice given in response to Question D:

Carefully balance concerns about financial sustainability and adequacy of benefits;

More transparency, financial education, and information about the value of benefits and cost of retirement;
Proper ethical standards for financial advisers; A new social contract;
Honesty in communicating the nature of the problem to citizens; address the long-term care problem;
Careful monitoring of longevity improvement by insurance firms;
Political decision-makers should show more flexibility, and pay attention to financial sustainability; 

Pay attention to health issues, as not all workers can work more and more years; Raise retirement age, but also protect low-income workers;

Governments should help grow the second, third and fourth pillars;
Pension plans should work on effective risk-sharing.

If you are interested in more information, contact the Research Director, Life and Pensions, The Geneva Association.

Susanne Paul, Global Action on Aging.

 

 

 

How is your Mental Health Today?

Dear Friend of Global Action on Aging,

 

How is your mental health today?  You and I often recognize most of the health challenges facing older adults.  But we continue to overlook – under-report and under-treat the mental health issues that we older people face.  Why? 

Some experts say that we confuse what is “normal” aging behavior and what is “psychiatric” conditions.  Of course, some people face mental health problems throughout their lives and others develop conditions in their later years that can be treated fairly easily. 

What does the data show?  Today, about 25% of older adults has a significant mental disorder.  It could be depression or anxiety.  Another 7% has a form of dementia, such as Alzheimer’s.  Many other mental conditions go un-reported. 

Nationally in the US over the next 25 years, the number of older adults with major psychiatric illnesses is expected to more than double from 7 to 15 million individuals as the Baby Boom generation ages. In Hawaii, by the year 2020, every fourth person will be 60 years or older.  Without good treatment, these conditions can lead to increased disability, additional caregiver stress, poor health, increased mortality and even greater risk of suicide.

Apparently, older persons are less likely than younger persons to recognize their own mental health problems.  Only about 3% see a mental health professional for help, a rate far lower than persons of younger ages.  Nearly one elder in seven suffers from depression. . . .but yet 70 to 90 % don’t seek or get any treatment.

If you are feeling “blue,” or persistently discouraged or sad, seek help.  Get to a doctor or a sympathetic person that you trust to ask for help.  Get the help you need to recover your positive take on life.  Life is short; enjoy the day!

Susanne Paul for Global Action on Aging

Japan Confronts Fire Safety Issues for Elders with Dementia

Twenty 25% of small facilities for dementia patients in Japan unequipped for fires

More than 500 small group homes for dementia patients (including elders) or about a quarter of such facilities across Japan, are not equipped with sprinklers, a survey conducted by The Yomiuri Shimbun has found.   Because  small homes with less than 275 square meters of total floor space are not legally required to install sprinklers, the government has urged those facilities to install them by providing subsidies according to size.

A nationwide survey was conducted in February and March following a fatal fire at a small group home for dementia patients in Nagasaki. Five patients died in the incident.  According to a survey, some 524 facilities, including the Nagasaki home, were not equipped with sprinklers. The survey covered 2,047 facilities in 44 prefectures. The three remaining prefectures--Akita, Yamanashi and Tottori--said they did not have the total numbers of small group home facilities.

It is estimated that about a quarter of small group homes are unequipped with sprinklers.
Most group homes with 275 square meters or more of floor space are equipped with sprinklers, the Yomiuri survey found.   In 2009, the ministry made it mandatory for such facilities to install sprinklers. The measure was taken after seven people were killed in a fire at a group home with about 280 square meters of floor space in Omura, Nagasaki Prefecture, in 2006. Smaller facilities became eligible for subsidies from 2010.An official said the ministry is also investigating the actual conditions for sprinkler installment. "Based on results [of the investigation], we hope to consider improvement measures, including how financial assistance should be provided," the official said.

Prof. Yasumichi Kurata of Nishikyushu University, an expert in social welfare affairs, said: "As various types of buildings including private homes are used as small group homes, it isn't always possible to install sprinklers at low costs. The subsidy system must be improved, for example, by having it cover a certain portion of actual costs spent [for installation], rather than providing subsidies according to the amount of floor space."

What is the situation in your country?  Are older and/or handicapped persons protected against fire in their living facilities? 

Susanne Paul for Global Action on Aging

How do you want to die? Do you know?

Dear GAA Friend,

Finding out what dying patients want and treating them accordingly leads to happier patients who are in less pain and who use fewer healthcare dollars, UCLA researchers said Tuesday.

“You can improve care while reducing costs by making sure that everything you do is centered on what the patients want, what his or her specific goals are and tailor a treatment plan to ensure we provide the specific care he or she wants,” Dr. Jonathan Bergman, a Robert Wood Johnson clinical scholar at UCLA, said in a statement.

But have your loved ones been consulted about their wishes?  Have you considered what you would desire in this circumstance?

Many families express guilt and regret that they had never asked their loved ones about their preferences, about pain issues, about blessings, about pain relief, and more in the closing hours of their parents' or grandparents' lives.

In some countries, a written statement or advance directive that stipulates wishes can be helpful. . . .but not if its existence is unknown to family members.

What are your experiences?  Please share them with Global Action on Aging's reading community.

With thanks,

Susanne Paul for Global Action on Aging

Debate over Euthanasia in Tasmania

AUSTRALIA NEWS: "(Tasmania state proposed) Euthanasia laws spark debate," by Matt Smith (_Mercury_ [Hobart], Mar. 13, 2013).

A proposed new law in Tasmania would give this Australian State the opportunity to give advanced terminally ill patients an opportunity to take their own lives. Prime Minister Lara Giddings says that public opinion is "in favor of some form of voluntary assisted dying." Apparently legislative safeguards would be put in place to assure no heightened risk for people who may be vulnerable because of their age, disabilty or mental illness.

Do you have euthanasia opportunities in your country?  If so, will you please describe them?  Do you support this legislation?  Or not?  Please share your perspective with Global Action on Aging.

Susanne Paul
Global Action on Aging
 
 

US Retirement Age getting Older and Older

Steven Greenhouse, a New York Times reporter, published a very provocative article on March12, 2013, detailing how US citizens are delaying retirement until older and older ages.

Why?  Greenhouse says that some "older persons" still feel young and want to work or devote themselves to a new project or compelling interest. Others stay on the job, worried that they may have serious medical bills in the future, and seek additonal resources in the event that Social Security and Medicare prove insufficient.

Another group thinks that their savings are inadequate or anticipate having to support their parents in their old age, thus reducing resources for adult children.  Costs of higher education for children has increased  drastically over the past decades and pulled down their savings. Some potential retirees have helped their own parents to live in a nursing home and thereby reduced their personal savings for retirement.  Still others have footed the bill to send children to college, depleting their "retirement savings."     
  

What is happening now?  Many more older US citizens are living into their late 80s and 90s and outliving their retirement savings.  What does this mean?     

      

Greenhouse cites a Boston College study that found that "53 percent of Americans were 'at risk' of being unable to maintain their pre-retirement standard of living once they retire, up from 30 percent in 1989. A study last May by the Employee Benefit Research Institute found that 44 percent may not have enough money to meet their basic needs in retirement."

        

Today, one-third of retirees in the United States rely solely on Social Security, with benefits averaging just over $15,000 a year for an individual and $30,000 for a couple.  Can you live on this income? It can't be easy.

      

A generation ago, most workers with employer-based retirement plans were enrolled in traditional pension plans promising a monthly stipend for life after retirement.  But that's changed drastically.  The BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics) data shows that only a quarter of all workers now enjoy a "traditional pension plan."  Only 26 percent of all workers are in such pension plans, including 17 percent of private-sector workers, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Most people whose employers do offer retirement plans are enrolled in 401(k)’s instead, and 58 percent of workers are not participating in an employer-based retirement plan, according to the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College.

 

What's the future of those who will "come of old age" in the years and decades ahead?  Will we/they live in poverty and misery with fore-shortened lives?  Will the US economic system support or sustain its elder citizens?  Or will the 1% who control so much US wealth today ignore their fellow citizens?  What do you think?  Please share your views in our comments section.

 

Susanne Paul for Global Action on Aging 

 

 

Older Persons Fighting HIV/AIDS in South Africa

The World Health Organization (WHO) recently analyzed HIV/AIDS issues among older people in  South Africa. What did the researchers find?

Increasingly older people are contracting HIV/AIDS. However, existing data does not specify how many have been infected. Also, WHO says that  older people continue to be excluded from HIV prevention and treatment programmes.  UNAIDS estimates that 2.8 million people 50 years and older were living with HIV in 2006 and the prevalence of HIV in South Africa among people age 50-54 was 10.8%, 4.5% among those aged 55-59, and 3.9% among those aged 60 and over.  But we don't have current data.

Older people in nearly every culture depend on family support.  Usually younger persons care for the most old or infirm.  However, HIV/AIDS changes such family relationships.  When adult children die, older persons once again step in to head the household and care for orphaned children. The number of grandparents caring for AIDS orphans in developing countries has doubled over the last ten years.  At least half of the world’s 15 million AIDS orphans are being cared by a grandparent. As GAA has pointed out many times, older caregivers are often women who face serious financial, physical and emotional stress due to their caregiving responsibilities in their later years.

Here are some WHO recommendations to citizens and governments to reduce the heavy impact of HIV/AIDS on older people:

• provide concrete support to older people, such as social pensions;
• train HIV/AIDS service and health providers on gerontological issues;
• insure psychological and medical support for older people living with ill family members;
• include older people in HIV/AIDS education/training programmes

Susanne Paul
Global Action on Aging

China covers some 484 Million Citizens with a Pension Plan

Xinhua Web Editor, Mao Yaqing, reports that nearly 500 million Chinese are now covered by a pension plan.  The program extends to over 300 million urban Chinese and has doubled the percentage of those with pension coverage since 2007.  This is an outstanding achievement for the people of China. 

 

China's pension system covered 484 million people as of 2012. "Gross revenues for social insurance funds totaled 2.85 trillion yuan (457.45 billion U.S. dollars) and gross expenditures reached 2.21 trillion yuan in 2012, 2.63 times and 2.8 times that of five years ago, respectively, the ministry said. Basic endowment insurance per capita has increased 86 percent compared with five years ago," according to the news account. China's social insurance funds comprise five parts: basic endowment insurance for the elderly, basic medical insurance, unemployment insurance, work-related injury insurance and maternity insurance. As the world's most populous country, China faces enormous challenges to support its current and future older citizens.  Only fifteen years ago, China was creating a fully developed pension program for its population. Now, the results can be seen for its urban citizens.   As in other nations, China must also face the needs of its citizens in the country-side where pensions appear more difficult to create, fund and distribute. If you have first-hand knowledge of these developments, please share them with Global Action on Aging.    Susanne Paul Global Action on Aging

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Why don't More Older Persons organize for Our Rights?

Dear GAA Blog Reader,

Over the last week, I've posted several articles describing how the Governments of South Korea, China and the US are threatening to reduce their existing social security programs.   None of these programs appear to be adequate to meet the needs of their older citizens.  But why don't older people rise up against these threats that can shorten and reduce our last days to miserable conditions?

A visiting friend at dinner last night suggested an explanation that I want to test with you.   He suggested that governments appear to be threatening elders in this way:  "They tell older citizens that their needs will take national resources away from the young--their childen and their grandchildren."  The message:  "Stop complaining about social support programs; if we governments spend on you, we won't have enough resources to provide for the young."

Our friend thinks that older persons must see this propaganda for what it is: a way to ignore the social needs of elders and claim that it's unfair to want social programs and other programs in old age.

Of course, the issue of greater taxes for the upper 1% goes unnoticed. 

What do you think?  Do you hear this argument in your country?  Please comment to Global Action on Aging.

Have a good week! 

Susanne Paul for Global Action on Aging 

Will Japan honor its Older People in 2013 and Beyond?

According to Wikipedia, the aging of Japan is thought to outweigh all other nations, as the country is purported to have the highest proportion of elderly citizens.  One out of five elders is over the age of 65 today. The age 65 and above demographic group increased from 26.5 million in 2006 to 29.47 million in 2011, an 11.2% increase. The Japanese Health Ministry estimates the nation's total population will decrease by 25% from 127.8 million in 2005 to 95.2 million by 2050. Japan's elderly population, aged 65 or older, comprised 20% of the nation's population in June 2006, a percentage that is forecast to increase to 38% by 2055.

What does this mean for older Japanese citizens?  While the number of nursing homes has increased, it is still insufficient to serve all those who are on waiting lists.  Employers find it hard to hire caregivers since candidates can find easier and more highly paid work. 

Japan is spending half its health budget on older persons. . .and the once very prosperous nation has a huge financial deficit. Now the government has introduced a new health insurance scheme with special cards for those over 75 years old; however, elders don’t like to be singled out; they call it the “hurry up and die” program.

Just under a third of Japanese 85 year olds have Alzheimer’s or another dementia which matches the rate in the UK.

The Japanese dilemma now lies ahead for all major world economies. A rapid growth in the oldest citizens is a success story for humankind.  However, it can also create a heavy responsibility for families if governments have ignored the growing financial  and social obligations to their elder citizens.  In Japan, as in many parts of the world, the debate is now how the obligation should be met.

What's happening in your country?  Do you feel that your govenrment has programs and funds in place to extend appropriate care to you in your old age?  Please send Global Action on Aging your ideas and comments.

Have a good week,

Susanne Paul for Global Action on Aging

Obama Plans Cruel Cuts to Social Security

Reports from New America Media say that President Obama will likely put Social Security's annual cost of living adjustments (COLA) on the chopping block--even though doing so would not reduce the federal debt by a penny.

Read this excerpted analysis from Nancy J. Altman, author of The Battle for Social Security, and Eric Kingson, a professor at Syracuse University, co-directors of Social Security Works, Washington D.C.

. . . "Social Security is barred by law from borrowing funds to cover its costs; it cannot add to the deficit and should not be part of deficit discussions at all. Why politicians – especially the president -- keep bringing it up is a question our policymakers have never answered convincingly."

" . . . The idea is to reduce the future cost of Social Security by using a stingier CPI formula. But the very purpose of adding the COLA to checks year-to-year is to keep Social Security benefits up with inflation, and maintain a decent standard of living for retirees, those with disabilities and, when a family breadwinner dies, his or her surviving spouse and children.

Using the chained-CPI would cut already modest Social Security benefits – $13,600 on average -- more each year. This cut would hit Social Security beneficiaries hardest in their 80s or older, or after years of disability when they are most likely to have exhausted their savings.

Social Security’s moderate benefits, especially compared with other counties, are vital to people with fixed or limited incomes. The current CPI index the government uses fails to measures the inflation seniors and those with disabilities experience because it does not adequately account for health care.

Most Americans assume that Medicare covers health costs, but as important as that program is, people 65 or older spend, on average, more than twice as much on health care as those ages 25-64, about 13 percent compared to 5 percent. Also, the current CPI calculation understates the cost of housing. You may own your home, but, for instance, be one roof-repair away from poverty.

So switching to the chained CPI would provide an even less accurate and less sustainable measure for people trying to make ends meet. And its impact would compound over time.

The chained-CPI would pull $112 billion directly out of the pockets of beneficiaries over the next 10 years and much more thereafter. A typical Social Security retiree would lose the equivalent of roughly $500 a year (in today’s dollars) at age 75 under the chained CPI, compared to the current formula; $1,000 in their 85th year and $1,500 at age 95.

This may not sound like a lot of money, but two-thirds of seniors depend on Social Security for half or more of their income. And one in three seniors rely on the program for at least 90 percent of their income. The chained-CPI cut would translate into the cost of two weeks of food per month for a 95 year-old widow.

Ethnic Elders and Older Women
In fact, the growing impact would be large in almost anyone’s book. Typically, over the years, the chained-CPI cut would amount to $4,600 by age 75, $13,900 by 85, and $28,000 for those fortunate enough to live to 95. How’s that for a Happy Birthday present?

Ethnic elders stand to lose the most because Social Security is usually a greater share of their retirement income. Even before the Great Recession, in 2007, the average household of color had just 16 percent of the wealth possessed by the average white household.

The impact of the chained-CPI would be especially harsh on older ethnic women because they are far more likely than other groups to work in low-wage professions. Also, they are less likely to have other sources of retirement income. Astoundingly, more than four out of 10 single African American women or Latinas live below the poverty line today. And the proportion rises as these groups get older.

Because African American women have the lowest rates of marriage in the United States, they are far more vulnerable to poverty in old age. One out of six single women above the age of 65 live in poverty—triple the poverty rate of married women 65-plus.

Indeed, the chained CPI would drive a disproportionate number of ethnic seniors into poverty. Of the nearly 250,000 Social Security beneficiaries who would fall into poverty due to the chained CPI in 2050, over 160,000 are projected to be black or Latino.

In his State of the Union address, President Obama spoke of the importance of a “secure retirement.” To help make that aspiration a reality, policymakers should be talking about increasing, not decreasing Social Security. A good place to start is with a more, not less, accurate measure of inflation adjustments, so those modest pension amounts do not decline as more and more Americans reach very old age."

Blog Readers:  Write your Congressional Representatives; Demonstrate against these Cuts; Call your friends and join them in taking action!  The People--united--can stop this planned robbery of Older Persons.  And send your comments to GAA.  Thanks!

Susanne Paul for Global Action on Aging

HIV AIDs in China: What's Happening?

GUANGZHOU, China —  Reporters have begun to cover how the Chinese government is responding to the emerging issue of increased numbers of HIV-AIDS cases in the country. Although many patients are still young, the population will age and may affect the capacity of the the country to respond effectively.  Here are some items.
         

While China’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention has allowed community organizations across the country to participate in disease testing programs since 2008, in practice those efforts remain patchy. But in November, just before World AIDS Day the following month, a grass-roots movement received endorsement from the incoming prime minister, Li Keqiang.  At a meeting with advocates for AIDS patients, Mr. Li, promised more government support and shook hands with H.I.V.-positive people. The news reversed the practice of routinely turning possible gay people away from hospitals and hounding them from their jobs. “Civil society plays an indispensable role in the national battle against H.I.V./AIDS,” he said to the state news media.

      

Through October, nearly 69,000 new H.I.V. infections were reported in China in 2012, a 13 percent rise from the same period in 2011. Almost 90 percent of those cases were contracted through sexual intercourse, with rising numbers involving gay men. Medical experts also worry about syphilis, which has returned with a vengeance after being virtually wiped out during the Mao era.        

 

Reporters say that Mr. Li, the incoming premier, has a spotty record when it comes to H.I.V. In the 1990s, when he was the top official in central Henan Province, a botched blood-collection program there infected hundreds of thousands of people with H.I.V. Critics say Mr. Li was more interested in covering up the problem than dealing with its causes. Even as he was holding court with AIDS groups, over a hundred of those infected in the scandal marched in Beijing to the Ministry of Health demanding justice.

      

For the vast majority of Chinese, AIDS remains a fearful issue. People who get infected with H.I.V. often become social outcasts, a situation made more perilous by the absence of legal protections for those who lose their jobs or their homes.  For example, after artist Da Wei came out as gay and H.I.V.-positive on Chinese television in 2005, he was promptly fired. Then he was evicted from his apartment by his landlord — a doctor — who showed up at his door with printed images of his face from TV. “He said he had no problem with my health condition, but what would the other tenants think?” the man recalled in a phone interview.

      

Even medical professionals who work with AIDS patients are not immune from discrimination. “Other doctors are afraid they’ll catch H.I.V. from my lab coat,” said Chen Xiejie, the vice director of infectious diseases at the Guangzhou No. 8 People’s Hospital. “If I go to their offices they say, ‘Don’t sit down.’ They won’t even shake my hand.”        

      

Other discrimination exists: Homosexual characters are banned from television, gay film festivals cannot advertise, and the police often force lesbian and gay organizations to cancel programs during politically delicate events.

 

Despite the state-sanctioned prejudices, Chinese health officials say cooperation with grass-roots organizations is beginning to transform the government’s approach to such issues.

“The fight against S.T.D.’s is not just about public health,” said Yang Bin, the director of the provincial sexually transmitted disease control center. “It’s a political issue, too.”

 

And soon it will be an aging issue as well.      

 

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Japanese Minister says Old Citizens cost too much!

Dear Global Action on Aging Friends,

The UK Guardian newspaper reports on Taro Aso, the new Japanese finance minister, who says that elder Japanese citizes are draining the country's finances (January 22, 2013).  He's quoted as saying, "The problem won't be solved unless you let them hurry up and die."  Aso also refers to people who receive end of life care as "tube" people who use up the country's resources.

The Japanese government recently reduced its welfare expenditure, a measure that will go into effect in April.  Japan is home to many old people, about 40% are over 65 years old.  (Many would consider this a success story for the nation.)  However, many elders live and die alone.

Is caring for elders a social obligation . . . or are older people excess human "baggage" for the society?  What do you think?  Please send in your comments.

Have a good day! 

Susanne Paul for Global Action on Aging

Are You Too Old to get HIV-AIDS?

Dear GAA Reader,

Think you are too old to get HIV-AIDs?  Think again! 

The AOA (US Administration on Aging) has found that about 1.2 million people in the US now live with HIV.  One in five of these persons are unaware that they have the infection.  Why?  Because they've never been tested.  A test is the only sure way to know if you have HIV.

According to recent Center for Disease Control  reports, people over age 50 account for 17 percent of new HIV Cases in 40 states with "long-term confidential name-based reporting."  Also, those over 50 years account for 31 percent of persons living with an HIV diagnosis.

Do you think that most older people are not sexually active?   Think again:  Five years ago a national study of US persons found that persons between 57 and 85 years old are -- in fact -- sexually active.  Most of them are healthy older people. 

Older people living in the US are increasingly widowed or divorced.  They become involved in intimate relationships but are often ignorant of the health risks.  Many fail to use any protection. Only one third of older men have discussed sex issues with their doctor; only one in five women over 50 years has talked with her doctor about sex issues. Too many are clueless about HIV prevention or how to get tested. 

So, how do you get a test?  Visit this website for specific information:   http://www.hivtest.org
Or call: 1 800 232 4636. (Information is available in Spanish or English.) 

If you have questions or would like to share your experience or related information, please reply on our blog site. 

 Have a good day, Global Action on Aging

Take Action to Save US Social Security

Dear GAA Friend,

Two days ago the MoveOn organization wrote to me--and probably hundreds of others--urging us to stop Congress from cutting Social Security benefits for me and millions of others.  The writer, Frank Burton, said, "I elected the President, and other Democrats, to protect Social Security and to ask the wealthy to pay their fair share of taxes--not to cave in to Republican demands to cut the benefits that my family, and millions of other families, depend on."

Frank points out that last week President Obama offered to cut Social Security benefits.  And he said  that Democrats in Congress--whose support is needed to get a deal--are split on whether they'd allow Social Security cuts. 

What can ordinary people do to save this vital program that affects us all, particularly those of us who are old?   We must take action!  I will be marching into my Congressional Representative Charley Rangel's office with as many of my neighbors, friends and their children that we can assemble. 

What is our message?   Don't cut Social Security benefits!   I don't intend to sit back and let my children and neighbors' Social Security be robbed from us in full daylight.

If you live in the US, follow Frank Burton, Global Action on Aging, other Move On subscribers, and US citizens to stop this robbery of our Social Security. 

If you live in the New York area or can come to demonstrate, here is the address:  163 West 125th Street, New York, NY  10027-4404.  See you there!

Thanks and have a good holiday,   Susanne Paul for Global Action on Aging

PO Box 20022, New York, NY  10025

Dear GAA Reader,

Exciting news for all of us who are or will be old:  The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution on December 20, 2012, to begin the process toward defining the human rights of older persons--a process that will likely lead to adoption of a Convention or Treaty that requires UN Member States to insure  protection against abuse and discrimination for all older citizens.  In preparation for the vote, NGOs, such as Global Action on Aging  and many of our colleagues, called UN Missions and spoke with Third Committee delegates, asking for their support.  I discussed these issues with representatives from Arabic-speaking countries.  All treated me courteously and spelled out their worries about moving too quickly toward such a resolultion without ample time to study it carefully.  

Earlier this fall, El Salvador had introduced a resolution; it was revised several times to meet the objections voiced from other countries.  Interestingly, the United States and the European Union opposed the El Salvador resolution and lobbied the Member States to oppose the measure.   Nevertheless, it passed although a number of nations abstained.  Now NGOs are turning our efforts to engaging aging organizations in every part of the world to contact their government representatives and urge them to support such a measure.  Will you please be in touch with your National Aging Authority to ask for its support to assure the human rights of older person?  And what will happen next?   The UN will likely host another Open-Ended Working Group in summer 2013 to define the issues more clearly.  If you want more information or want to become involved in this process, please write to me at this Blog.  Or, write to s.paul@globalaging.org.

As our planet moves toward its shortest day in the north and the longest in south, Global Action on Aging wishes you a productive year in 2013, rich with blessings and opportunities to make the world more welcoming of older people wherever they may be.

Happy holidays to you and your loved ones,  Susanne Paul for Global Action on Aging

PS  If you wish to support the work and activity of GAA, please send a check or money order to
GAA, PO Box 20022, New York, NY 10025  USA    Thanks!

Why Celebrate Thanksgiving Day?

Dear Reader,

On the fourth Thursday of November, many people in the US celebrate Thanksgiving and give thanks for the fall harvest.  Traditionally, families gather for a special meal that often includes a stuffed turkey, cranberry sauce, potatoes -- sometimes broccoli-- and other vegetables.  The feast usually ends with a pumpkin pie. In some places, religous or civil organizatons host a dinner for their members and open their doors to poor people in the neighborhood.  As poverty has sharply increased among adults and children in the US, many will have no holiday dinner this year.

What are people celebrating?  Since 1863 some  citizens have observed Thanksgving Day. However, not everyone celebrates. Beginning in 1970, Native Americans have observed a National Day of Mourning at Plymouth Rock, in Massachusetts. The Pilgrims' arrival set off the elimination of countless Native People or drove them off the land that they had settled and cultivated.  Many Native People see no reason to celebrate. 

The struggle for justice continues in the US.  What is happening in your country?  Do you have holidays that honor some and marginalize others?  Please share your information with us on our comment section. 

In the meantime, have a good week!

Susanne Paul for Global Action on Aging