There is a hidden problem with SS and Medicare. Here is my idea on how to fix it.

[shockey80]

First of all, raising the retirement age is flat out cruel and immoral to all the men and women who spend their entire lives building and repairing America with their arms and their backs. It is sad, when the people who raise the retirement age on the Americans who do the heavy lifting for our country, the heaviest thing they have lifted in their lives is the pen to write or sign the bill that raises the retirement age.

The people who do the heavy lifting in our country take great pride in their work. However, over their decades of work they pay a heavy price. Their bodies begin to wear out. Many of them get injured, go home and heal up and go right back to work. Many of them never completely heal and they still go back to work. They work in pain waiting till they can get SS and Medicare. It's not fair, It's cruel.

Here is my idea that would help these Americans. It is not perfect but it would help. Most of the people who do the heavy lifting for our country start working these physical jobs as soon as they leave high school. Most people who do not do the heavy lifting go to college and don't start working full time until they are in their 20's. Right now you have to wait till your 62 to get SS and 65 to get Medicare.

I believe we should have another qualification, besides age, in order to qualify for SS and Medicare. Number of years working full time. I believe 40 years of full time work would work well. People who graduate high school at 18, or drop out earlier, and then start working full time would be able to collect SS and Medicare around 58 years old if they wanted to. These are the people that do the heavy lifting. People who go to college don't start working full time until they are in their 20's. Therefore after 40 years of work they would be around 62. Which aligns with the age requirement we have now.

Being able to collect SS and Medicare at 58 instead of 62 and 65 doesn't sound like much. However, I have no doubt it would transform the lives of the millions of Americans who build our country with their backs. It would be a god send.

[Turin_C3PO]

1. I like your thinking.

[Demsrule86]

2. No, I absolutely disagree.

Don't raise the age period...I find this just another bullshite way to attack working people.

[shockey80]

5. Your post does not make sense?

[Roland99]

14. I think you need to re-read the OP

[Locrian]

3. or we could just have medicare for all and be done with it ...

And not have to worry about things like dying from cancer and stuff at *any* age.

As for SS - ok, that sounds decent but I think most peoples real concern is healthcare.

[BlueIdaho]

4. Interesting Idea Worth Considering

We could also increase the ceiling on SS taxable income. That could also increase to funds available for retirees in your scheme.

[ooky]

6. 40 years, or 62, whichever comes first. And it needs to be full benefits at 62.

Even people who didn't work physical jobs have bodies that wear out. I had to stop working at 61 because of physical pain from rapidly advancing arthritis. My job required a lot of air travel and it was killing me hobbling on inflamed joints all over creation.

And for godsakes lift the damn cap on rich folks to pay for it.

[shockey80]

7. Exactly, lift the dam cap, not the retirement age.

[SWBTATTReg]

9. Ditto.

[ms liberty]

8. You note that one can retire at 62, but

You can't collect full benefits then. I am 60 right now, and I will have to work until I'm 66.5 before I can retire with full benefits. That is total bs.

[MineralMan]

10. That's true. I did that - started getting SS at 62.

My income had dropped below the threshold, so I started getting SS payments.

Here's the thing: You have to do the math. You have to look at that lower amount you get, compared to what you'd get 4 or 4.5 years later and estimate your life expectancy somehow. As it turned out for me, I got over $40,000 over four years, when I really needed it, instead of waiting until I was 66 (the full retirement age then). My monthly payment from SS is still lower, and will remain lower, although the limit on how much I can earn ended when I was 66. As it happened, my earnings went up about then, so...

How long will I live? I have no idea. So, I can't calculate the difference in the amount I will get from SS during my entire life after age 62. All I know is that getting SS at 62 got me through some lean times and it continues. Now that I've been on Medicare for a few years, as well, I really think I made the right decision, but it wouldn't be right for everyone. You have to do the math.

My wife turned 62 two years ago. She started getting SS, too, and dropped one of her clients to stay below the maximum earnings threshold. That worked out well for her, as well. Next year, she goes on Medicare, which will eliminate much of her health insurance costs.

Do the math, and then decide. That's my advice.

[ms liberty]

16. Excellent points. I will do the math once I get a bit closer

I'll see what is going on. I had hoped our Dems would follow Liz Warren, and lower the retirement age back to something reasonable, but apparently we can't have nice things, that's only for those evil European Socialist people.

[marlakay]

11. Sounds good but discourages anyone

To stay home man or woman and raise their kids which I have done both worked for 35 years and stayed home with my kids for 5 years while small. Raising kids is a tough job.

I was able to do early SS at 62 because my hubby who is older had medical for me and a good pension.

[Caliman73]

17. I was going to say that too.

Home makers work long hours engage in physical and mental work, and they do not pay into Social Security.

Also, people like teachers, social workers, secretaries, and others work and some are high stress though not highly physical jobs. It sounds like this plan is not for them.

Today's youth are getting into the gig economy or they move from job to job or career to career.

A lot of people are not working 40 years at the same job, let alone 30 or 20.

A fix is lifting the ceiling on higher income earners. The cap is something like 112k. Then you pay nothing more for Social Security.

[Bayard]

12. Makes sense to me

I'd go for that.

[Wounded Bear]

13. K & R...for visibility...

and for being a good idea.

[Karadeniz]

15. Sensible!