A recent story authored by David Asman on FoxNews.com insinuated that people who are receiving Social Security checks should be aware that “big government” is pillaging their Social Security checks to help pay Medicare premiums for low income Americans. The main culprit, according to Asman, is of course former President Barack Obama. This story is nothing more than an attempt to misinform Social Security recipients and get them angered at low income Americans.
Asman went into detail about his parents receiving $500 less in Social Security payments every month because of rules related to higher income Social Security recipients based on modified adjusted gross income (MAGI). High income Social Security recipients are required to pay an additional Medicare premium, but even if his parents were making over $428,000 a year they would not be paying an extra $500 a month in premiums based on Social Security’s rules. The most any couple would have to pay in additional premiums, including those who have incomes of $428,000 and more, is $438.
The additional premiums for high earners are used to help out low income recipients. No individual who earns $85,000 or less or a couple who earns $170,000 or less pays more than the standard Medicare premium.
In Asman’s story he claims that his parents “aren’t rich people.” If Asman’s claim that his parents were receiving “about $500 less every month in Social Security checks,” according to his parents’ bookkeeper, we have to assume Asman meant the maximum increase of the premium which is $438 more than the standard premium. This is still $62 less than Asman claimed. And, to be required to pay this maximum premium his parents must earn more than $428,000 a year, which is an income bracket that less than 5 percent of people on Medicare fall into. Whether or not Asman’s parents are “rich” can be debated, but considering that their annual income is higher than that of the president of the United States it is tough to shed tears for his parents considering there are many people on Social Security who are still living below the poverty line.
I wish I could stop with debunking Asman’s story just on premiums and income related misinformation alone, but he made another point that has to be addressed. First of all claiming “big government” is taking Social Security money is ridiculous. Does Asman understand that Social Security is a government program? It reminds me of a sign I saw at a protest several years ago that read “Keep Government Out Of My Medicare.” Obviously, Medicare too is a government program so I don’t know how that would be achieved.
In his story, a fiction one at that, Asman alleges “the government is now stealing my parents’ money” and “this has to stop.” He does indicate that the increased premiums higher earners pay were intended for “widows and orphans.” I guess he is referring to low income Medicare recipients, which higher earners are asked to pay increased premiums for, but also claims the increased premiums are used for “politicians’ spending sprees.” Of course, he does not elaborate on such an outlandish accusation, but the term politicians’ spending spree gives the indication that politicians are using Social Security money for their own spending purposes, which is blatantly false.
The Republicans now control the White House, the Senate and the House, but Asman still has his focus on Democrats and a former president.
