HARRISBURG, Pa. – With the threat of huge cuts in Social Security benefits in the future, some voters are asking what plans the presidential candidates have to update the system.

The latest report by the Social Security trustees estimates that, if nothing is done, benefits could be cut by 25 percent in just 18 years.

AARP also has been asking the candidates what they would do, and Bill Johnston-Walsh, state director for AARP Pennsylvania, says four of the five leading candidates have responded.

"Some of the ideas that have come up are increasing the retirement age, means-testing higher incomes, increasing the payroll tax, indexing benefits to prices,” he states. “Some of the candidates believe in private accounts for Social Security."

AARP has posted the candidates' responses online at 2016TakeaStand.org.

Pennsylvania has the fourth-oldest population of all the states in the nation.

Johnston-Walsh points out that with 6.8 million Pennsylvanians currently paying into Social Security, all hoping to collect benefits when they retire, there's a lot at stake.

"We're concerned that the future generations coming up aren't saving the way they should, and we're worried that they're going to have just Social Security to live on,” he says. “And we have to keep that safety net there."

The Social Security system is 80 years old but hasn't had a major update since the Reagan administration.

Johnston-Walsh says political candidates have been talking about the problem for years, but now, they need to talk about solutions.

"The longer we wait, the harder the problem will be to solve and the less time workers will have to prepare for their future,” he states. “We can't kick the can down the road anymore. It's just not an option."




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DES MOINES, Iowa -- There is strong public support in Iowa to enact a state law that criminalizes elder abuse, a topic also being discussed by law enforcement and state agencies.

In an AARP survey this summer, 95% of Iowans said they want a law that clearly defines elder abuse as a crime, language currently not found in state statute.

The issue came up in a webinar this week, hosted by the Iowa State Bar Association.

Paul Greenwood, a retired deputy district attorney from the San Diego County Attorney's Office who handled elder abuse cases, said financial exploitation is a common form, but he sees too much hesitancy among authorities to pursue investigations.

"Because they have given the money to a suspect without force, without threats, without violence, the police officer will then regard that as being non-criminal," Greenwood explained.

But he pointed out by digging deeper, investigators often find falsehoods were used to solicit funds from a vulnerable person. He noted crimes also may go unreported because the victim is embarrassed.

A bill in the Iowa Legislature essentially creates a new criminal offense for financial exploitation and other harms against Iowans age 60 and older. It passed the Senate this year, but stalled in the House, although records show no stated opposition.

Advocates of the bill hope it is revived early next year, so it can clear its final legislative hurdle. In the meantime, certain state offices are rolling out enhanced efforts, including more adult protective staff within the Department of Human Services.

Greenwood argued education can help, too.

"I really do feel that local prosecutors have a duty to go out into the community as much as they can and actually spread the word," Greenwood urged. "Talk at Rotary Clubs, Kiwanis, Lions Clubs, at retirees' meetings."

He added it is a good opportunity to explain the many ways in which older people are taken advantage of, including by relatives or neighbors. And he agreed with local advocates in Iowa, state law needs more teeth to prosecute those who prey on older residents.

CHEYENNE, Wyo. -- Social Security, the program credited with lifting 15 million older residents in Wyoming and across the U.S. out of poverty, will become insolvent by 2034, according to the most recent report by Social Security Trustees.

However, some economists say dire predictions do not reflect the reality of how the program operates.

Max Sawicky, senior research fellow at the Center for Economic Policy Research, has studied the program for nearly three decades. He said any actual threats to Social Security are not economic, they are political.

"If people are persuaded that the program will fail, then it's easy to take it away from them," Sawicky contended. "We've been hearing these scare stories about deficits forever, and none of the doom that was predicted has panned out."

Social Security always has delivered full benefits owed to people who paid into the program their entire working lives, in part because presidents and Congresses of both parties have taken steps to keep revenues and spending in balance.

Sawicky suggested the easiest fix would be to remove the cap on taxable wages. Currently, top earners only pay Social Security taxes on the first $142,000 of their income.

Sawicky pointed to the TRUST Act as the latest attempt to cut so-called entitlement spending. The measure, proposed by Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Krysten Sinema, D-Ariz., would create a committee to fix Social Security's finances, which Sawicky argued are not broken.

He worried the so-called remedies could be attached to larger spending packages, out of the public eye, and with very little opportunity for debate.

"It's really a way to evade democratic accountability, by people who are really hell-bent on cutting benefits and shrinking the program," Sawicky emphasized.

Social Security has long been viewed as a "third rail" of U.S. politics, largely due to its popularity among a strong majority of Americans.

Sawicky recommended instead of reducing average benefits of $1,500 dollars a month, the program should be expanded, through payroll taxes on the nation's wealthiest earners, tapping general funds, or harnessing growth in wages and productivity.

PORTLAND, Ore. -- The pandemic presents some future funding challenges to benefits for older Americans, according to the 2021 Social Security and Medicare Trustees' Reports.

Walt Dawson, assistant professor in the School of Public Health at Oregon Health and Science University, said the programs are foundational to Americans' health and economic security as they age.

While the reports are troubling, he noted they are not exactly surprising because a number of challenges to the Social Security program have been known for a long time.

"The COVID-19 pandemic has made the situation slightly worse," Dawson explained. "And increased by one year when Social Security, for example, will no longer be able to pay out all benefits."

Dawson said without major policy changes, benefits would have to be reduced by 24% in 2034, which he thinks would be devastating for older Americans. He said it is not only the pandemic and economic fallout to blame; a rapidly aging population is also a contributing factor.

Bandana Shrestha, state director of AARP Oregon, is concerned lawmakers in Congress could make cuts to critical programs behind closed doors.

"We really think that these important programs need transparent public input," Shrestha asserted. "Conversations that really allow us to make thoughtful decisions about the security and long term stability of these programs."

Dawson believes the pandemic could be an inflection point in how Americans think about Social Security.

"While there's this real need to fix the challenges that are facing this program, there's a real opportunity to think about how they can be enhanced and improved to provide for people, too," Dawson urged.