Does anyone know anyone who lives with only SS and Medicare who can get by on less?

[Stinky The Clown]

Please tell us how that might be possible. Consider it a public service to let others in on the key to doing that.

[grasswire]

1. they can't even get by WITH SS and Medicare.

I know of people in my town who only get $600 SSA.

[WCGreen]

11. I get 620 SSI

But I still earn about $4,000 doing tax returns and MRS WCGreen makes a decent living.

[Stinky The Clown]

12. SSI or SS?

[WCGreen]

13. disability.

[mentalsolstice]

56. SSI or SSDI?

Two very different animals...

SSI=Supplemental Security Income

SSDI=Social Security Disability Income

However, both are being threatened by proposed cuts, just in different ways.

[jwirr]

29. SSI is Supplimental Income that is paid to persons who are either

not eligible for Social Security yet or like me they do not get very much from Social Security. Your SSI amount depends on who much Social Security you get.

[robinlynne]

2. NO.

[ChiciB1]

3. NOPE, NOPE, NOPE!! I ARE One! n/t

[RebelOne]

69. Repeated. NOPE, NOPE, NOPE!!!!

[MannyGoldstein]

4. Most have two kidneys but only need one.

There's got to be a market for that, right?

[Stinky The Clown]

5. Eyeballs, too, Manny.

Bone marrow is a renewable resource, come to think of it.

[MannyGoldstein]

23. Depth perception is highly overrated

Those old folks shouldn't be driving cars or playing sports anyway.

[shanti]

41. useless eaters

that's what we are

[Warren Stupidity]

no. nope. no way.

Which is why this whole discussion is an abomination.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

6. NO. They cannot get by on less. In fact, on that, they're teetering on falling into the hole

I can't understand why Obama can't get some strength and deal with this shit without throwing the helpless under the bus.

[AndyTiedye]

25. I Think Obama is Trying to Save What He Can

If default happens, we lose it all.

The economy tanks, the government can't fund ANY social programs anymore,
and even if we later get something through, our borrowing costs would be
so high that there would be even bigger cuts than anything proposed so far.

Social Security and Medicare have a "trust fund" but that is invested in Treasuries,
whose value would plummet if there were a default.

Obama can't "get some strength" because he is in a terrible bargaining position.
The teabaggers are holding the whole economy hostage. They and their paymasters
are covered financially by shorting Treasuries, and politically by their control
of the media. Obama needs a deal. They don't.

[indurancevile]

35. There's not going to be any "default". That's a bogeyman.

[AndyTiedye]

37. Ultrashort ETFs

Why did Cantor invest in the Ultrashort ETFs?
That is a losing investment unless there is a default.
If there is, it pays off bigtime.

I think we can assume that whoever writes the big checks
to the Teabaggers is invested the same way.

[indurancevile]

38. what? usetf's are a bet on a stock market dropping -- on a daily basis.

http://seekingalpha.com/article/39285-ultra-short-etfs-...

that is from 2007, in case you didn't notice.

it's a bet on a continuing bad economy.

i'd take that bet given the austerity freaks running the world.

[AndyTiedye]

39. These Ultrashorts are Shorting Treasuries

[indurancevile]

40. from 2008:

http://www.proshares.com/funds/pst.html

This ETF seeks a return of -200% of the return of an index (target) for a single day. Due to the compounding of daily returns, returns over periods other than one day will likely differ in amount and possibly direction from the target return for the same period. Investors should monitor their ProShares holdings consistent with their strategies, as frequently as daily. For more on correlation, leverage and other risks, please read the prospectus.

http://seekingalpha.com/article/112131-ultra-short-trea...

i think you should do more research. it's a bet on a drop in the value of the dollar, i believe.

"If the US dollar’s going to drop, they’ll be less inclined to buy Treasuries and the Short Treasury play will be viewed as prudent."

http://www.darwinsfinance.com/is-now-the-time-to-short-... /

or a bet that investors will get out of treasuries:

With the current market environment US Treasuries have come heavily into favor as the one secure investment for the future. Even with yields at effectively 0.0% there has not yet been a slowdown in demand for these bonds. Bullish investors believe more upside is yet to be seen while Bears feel a bubble is preparing to burst. And for those who are betting that the bonds bubble will eventually burst here are some investment ideas on the short side (note “ultra” denotes a 2x inverse effect).

1. Ishares Barclays UltraShort Lehman 20+ Year Treasuries (TBT)...

http://www.stocktradingtogo.com/2009/01/12/us-treasury-... /


Neither of which requires a default.

[TheKentuckian]

66. Charge him with treason then.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

47. Here's what I see: 1) We Dems don't fight back, we whine; and, 2) Obama went in trying to reason

Now, because he's a softie, they're taking advantage of him.

[StarsInHerHair]

70. bull

[hobbit709]

7. Nobody I know

[Horse with no Name]

8. No. And the ones that I know already get help from their grown children

and those same grown children are having difficulty making ends meet.

[Mimosa]

32. Amen!

And older people without children are scared.

[SheilaT]

9. I am going to guess that there

are some people out there who have a very inexpensive place to live, or maybe they live with their children, and have no health problems and so that are managing just fine with only SS and Medicare. Not a lot, but surely there are some.

Also, not every senior is in ill health or takes multiple prescription medications. I'm officially a senior (I think. I'm 62 so you tell me) and I take absolutely no prescription medication of any kind, and while I don't exercise enough, I still do the odd headstand to keep in practice.

However, no matter how fabulous my health remains, I will have income in retirement beyond social security. As it is, my current plan is to work until age 70 and not collect SS until then. However, running the numbers just in my head, if my house were paid off, my anticipated SS check would be just fine. Not a lot of luxuries, but I'd do okay.

[WinkyDink]

15. 61 here, no meds. But my 87-yr-old widowed mother? ANOTHER STORY. You might live longer and with

more problems than you think.

[U4ikLefty]

20. The OP said ONLY Social Security.

Try again.

[anneboleyn]

26. I envy you! I am 38, and I have a rare disease, with monthly bills of over $1,200 for meds.

We pay out close to nine thousand each year (out of pocket), even though we actually have "decent" private insurance. I am not looking forward to being only on medicare.

Having good health is a wonderful thing! I never appreciated it like I should have -- I hope you continue to stay well.

[SheilaT]

53. You are an example of exactly why we need

a single payer system. I don't think of it as "I'm paying for YOUR problems", but rather, "We are all in this together."

I really do appreciate my good health, especially as I get older and look around and see how many people my age -- and trust me, 62 feels young when you actually get there -- have major health problems.

[neverforget]

10. nope. my mom is SS and Medicare and she was devastated when I told

her about these possible plans.

[Cleita]

14. Nope. I have a part time job which supplements

my Social Security and Medicare. I worry about how I will make it when the day comes that I can't work. I can't get by with less especially if I can't work anymore.

[pam4water]

16. Nope no one!

[ohheckyeah]

17. Oh hell no...

the people I know living on SS and Medicare take in poor paying work like addressing envelopes just to try and survive.

[kickysnana]

18. Nope x 3 here.

[KT2000]

19. No - and

I know people who worked on Jobs - such as construction - as opposed to steady employment who are waiting for Medicare to kick in so they can get necessary surgery. Keeping health insurance between jobs is not always possible.

[dmr]

21. No. I make more than most each month, but if

it weren't for my son & I pooling our funds together, we'd both be in dire straits.

His fiance is living with us, & she adds what she can, which is usually food. We all pool in on the food. She basically does all the cooking.

I'm collecting SSDI, & am not old enough to collect from my pension without a great loss to both the pension & SSDI. Though the time is approaching.

I feel betrayed. In the 80s, I along with other Boomers paid more into the system to assure Social Security would be there for us.

Hell, I'm not certain my pension will be there for me.

It's really rough out there. My son works full-time, but it's not the 40 hour full-time I once knew. He has a second job to make extra, along with a computer consulting business he has on the side.

His girl friend has 3 jobs, all part-time, & with those 3 jobs, she still doesn't work more than part-time hours. She is forever looking for better pay & better hours.

It's very frustrating & the future looks rather bleak. There is no key, Stinky, unless you consider multi-generational families living together; & as wonderful of a son I have, it's not always a picnic.

[Forkboy]

28. Your story is the same as millions.

Unique in that it's yours, but common in that so many are in the same boat, trying to bail out the water as politicians insist on drilling more holes.

I'm reminded of a scene in a Three Stooges short where they're in a rowboat taking on water and Curly finds a corkscrew under the seat (where they always are, of course lol), and says, "Oooooh, a water letter outer!"

Sorry for your situation, dmr.

[DesertFlower]

22. my mom only got a little more than $600 a month.

her rent was $620. she had a small savings account she drew from and i sent her a few bucks every month. then my husband and i and my sister and her husband bought my mom a town home. we paid the mortgage and repairs. all my mom had to pay was $82 a month HOA and her utilities. she finally was able to spend a little money on herself.

don't know what would have happened if she didn't have us.

[RebelOne]

71. Your mom is a very lucky lady to have children like you and your sister. n/t

[DesertFlower]

72. we both had great husbands.

neither my sister or i were working when we did this.

[dkf]

24. Ironically all the people I know who are on SS and Medicare have very nice pensions

And are in much better shape than me.

Back then they all had pensions.

The only person I know who is not in good shape divorced my uncle who had a very nice federal pension. She decided not to attach it because
she got more social security if she didn't.

[indurancevile]

42. She had a "very nice" federal pension that was smaller than what she got from social security?

The maximum social security payment is around $2300.

for 1/3 of social security recipients, it is 90% or more of their income.

for 2/3 it is 50% or more.

and it doesn't appear that a spouse has to chose between getting pension benefits or social security benefits. according to this if you get a spouse benefit on a pension, your social security will be reduced by 2/3 of the spouse benefit. so you would still make more money taking the pension + social security.

http://www.ssa.gov/pubs/10007.html

your friends seem to be exceptional.

[dkf]

43. She was entitled to part of my uncle's federal pension

But then her social security would have been cut for some reason. It wasn't her pension but her ex-husbands.

I am honestly pretty amazed at how good my elders have it. On the other hand they were brought up to be frugal.

[indurancevile]

44. according to the social security website, her social security would be cut by 2/3 of her pension.

here's how it would work, for example:

pension = 2000 (2/3 = $1320)

ss = 2000

pension (2000) + ss (680) = 2680

*****


pension = 1000 (2/3 = 660)

ss = 2000

pension (1000) + ss (1340) = 2340

****


pension = 4000 (2/3 = 2640)

ss = 2000

pension (4000) + SS (0) = 4000


There doesn't seem to be a case where refusing the pension gives you more benefits.

[jwirr]

27. I get $3010 from SSA but get the SSI supplement so actually live on

$8328. If they cut the COLA I get cut twice because both programs get the COLA. So far I can live on what I get + food stamps. If they actually take money out of this figure though I will be seriously hurting. I would get more food stamps though. I will survive as long as they do not deduct anything from what I already get.

Am going to suggest at my church that if anyone has extra garden produce they share it so some of us can preserve it. I also share in the family gardens and orchards. Get eggs from my daughter but they never seem to have any meat left over. Oh, well.

[SheilaT]

54. Are those numbers your monthly benefit?

If so, you're doing quite nicely. If you mean that's your yearly amount, that is well below the poverty level. Not that I have to tell you that.

[Bluenorthwest]

55. That has to be yearly. SSI suppliments low income individuals

so in order to get that, you have to have low income. Additionally, I think Social Security itself (not the same as ssi) tops out at 2700 a month currently.

[SheilaT]

57. That's what I was thinking.

I do wish people would a better job of indicating if a particular number of some kind was per year, per hour, whatever. Sometimes it can be a little tricky to figure out.

[jwirr]

62. If I got 2700 a month I would be wealthy? But my children know that if

I got that much I would be giving it away. Just as well I am what the lower amount.

[jwirr]

61. They are yearly and as I said I am making it. Live with my grandson

who is in school and share costs. I do have big debts and have not been able to pay them though. I took care of my disabled daughter for what amounted to about $.33 an hour for 45 years and have nothing but her life and health to show for it - which is enough. Just saying that I do not have a lot of material wealth. I am surviving.

[SoCalDem]

59. I'm assuming that's a yearly total

If it's monthly, you better get out your flame retardant suit...

[jwirr]

63. Yearly it is. Thanks for the warning.

[southerncrone]

30. No. My mother barely eats.

Let alone be able to do any upkeep on her house or yard. She is 78 & if it weren't for Medicare, she would have died a number of years ago.

But I think that's the idea behind all this "cutting" of SS & MC & MA.......anyone who is too old to PRODUCE for the corporate machine is just a "useless eater".......just let 'em die.

I'm beginning to hate my country.

[Starry Messenger]

31. Nope.

Only if she starts letting in boarders and eating gruel. Yay, Victorian era LARPing! The American Dream!

[Brother Buzz]

33. Gubment cheese

[Forkboy]

34. The current contempt for the poor is the worst I've seen it since those days.

[Brother Buzz]

36. I do not disagree

[U4ikLefty]

45. It makes me ill.

I have never seen it like this in my 8 years on DU.

[Forkboy]

51. I still believe that part of it is simply a denial mechanism.

Not just on DU, but in general. I think some people subconsciously want to distance themselves from the poor because they're afraid they might join them. By acknowledging the poor they're forced to confront the possibility that they're just one medical emergency, one fire or what have you, away from joining their ranks. A lot of times that manifests itself in derision and a major lack of empathy.

And then there's some bastards that just don't give a flying fuck about anyone but themselves.

[Forkboy]

58. In the 80's it was RW we had to fight, now it's many in our own Party as well.

That's the biggest difference to me. Back then I felt someone had my back. Not anymore.

[eridani]

46. Are you fucking kidding?

Please crash the computers and phone systems of your representatives and the White House saying so.

[Cannikin]

48. I'm currently disabled. My medicare kicks in on October 1st. I'll then get $115 less

on the check for the Medicare part B. That's about how much I spend on food in a two week period. My family is going to have to help me make up the difference.

I'm NOT making it on my own. My "luxury" items include a cell phone (no home phone, same cost) and I have internet. I won't part with my internet. I live in a rural area, I'm homebound and I feel like my internet connection is my window to the outside world.

[Recursion]

49. That's why only 1/3rd of retirees do that

It's a safety net, and was always intended to be one of three parts of your retirement.

[Stinky The Clown]

50. What a disgustingly glib statement

First, why don't those "only 1/3 of retirees" deserve better? What do you say to others who watched their nest egg get robbed in one bubble or another? I find your apparent sentiment try cold and heartless . . . and all too common.

[RebelOne]

68. Agreed!!!

[ItNerd4life]

52. Yes, house is paid off. They have some savings, but don't use it.

He's lived in the same house for 30 years and paid off the mortgage before retiring. He never saved for retirement
and now just lives off of SS. He eats out about 5-7 times a week. He saves some money each month
and he just went on a $500 fishing trip.

His house is modest, but the key was that he stayed in the same house and paid it off.

[Pooka Fey]

60. No.

[glinda]

64. without either one of those, my 85 yr old parents would be homeless and they own their home.

[tnlefty]

65. Nope, My mother who will mark another year in her 7th decade

this month still works one day a week and more when needed for audits and end of year closings. She's now an independent contractor so she is responsible for all taxes.

Her rather new husband is a retired union plumber (for about 15 years). He's 75 and in the last month took a job as a courier for car dealerships.

[chill_wind]

67. K & R. n/t