Misinformation is not a new term but something you should be aware of and take note. Sometimes misinformation is intentional and malicious. Other times, misinformation is a result of a lack of understanding about the topic.

This month's newsletter will attempt to alert you to some things I have observed.

One thing to remember . . . Much of the “news”, especially from the “legacy” media, is slanted. This is particularly true when discussing DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) proposed cuts in funding at the federal level. The goal of DOGE audits is to identify waste, fraud and abuse.

In spite of how these changes are portrayed in the media, the sky is NOT falling. We still have Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.

Medicare Plans in Georgia - Healthline

One of my favorite newsletters comes from Healthline. The newsletter covers a wide variety of topics that are researched and verified by independent experts However, one post caught my eye so I decided to dig deeper.

The linked article discusses Medigap plans in Georgia for 2024. The disclosure states they list SOME of the plans and gives you and lists 8 of the 35 issuing carriers, some are linked to related articles on their site.

If you follow their Cigna link you will view some details about their Medigap plans. They also include a premium grid showing illustrative rates for only 6 of the 12 plans offered in Georgia. I have no real beef with that since they mention the 6 most popular plans.

However, the premium range can be misleading without further explanation. Plan G rates for Cigna illustrate premiums ranging from $138 to $1029. What they fail to mention is the high end rate is assessed for applicants who are disabled and under age 65.

The article also fails to mention the planned sale of Cigna’s Medicare Advantage, Part D and Medigap block to HCSC in the first quarter of 2025. Having experienced this with other carriers, I can say the transition usually is not seamless and can create a disruption for their policyholders. Those with Advantage and Part D plans generally encounter the biggest headaches.

https://www.healthline.com/health/medicare/cigna-medicare-supplement#cost

DOGE and CMS (Medicare/Medicaid) - Kiplinger

The political “third rail” involves misnomered Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security “entitlements”.

What is an entitlement? According to Wikipedia, an entitlement is a government program guaranteeing access to some benefit by members of a specific group and based on established rights or by legislation. The term may also reflect a pejorative connotation, as in a "sense of entitlement".

Many of us who are collecting Social Security and/or Medicare benefits view these programs as EARNED by virtue of years of tax payments via payroll deductions.

We PAID for our benefits which differ from other social welfare programs that are bestowed on individuals, including some who never contributed a dime towards the cost of those benefits.

Late last month, DOGE gained access to the U.S. Treasury's federal payment system, a system that disburses trillions of dollars each year for programs that include Social Security and Medicare.

The federal government is a honey pot for thieves and scammers who go to great lengths to appropriate monies from taxpayer coffers. Many times they are successful but the theft may not be discovered for years. By then the dollar amounts are in the millions . . . the thieves are no longer around . . . and the few that are captured are rarely punished. Embezzlement is considered a white collar crime and is treated differently in the courts from criminal robbery.

Even worse, the stolen dollars evaporate and are replenished via taxation, not restitution.

According to the Wall Street Journal, DOGE's access is "read-only," which means that DOGE affiliates cannot make changes to the systems. The WSJ also reported that no access has been given to databases that include identifiable personal health information of Medicare or Medicaid enrollees. That's good news to the millions currently enrolled in these programs.

This past April, in a report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), concerns were raised about payment errors in Medicare and Medicaid. Known as "improper payments," these are payments that are either made in an incorrect amount or should not have been made at all.

The GAO estimated that the Department of Health and Human Services had a combined total of over $100 billion in improper payments in fiscal year 2023, representing 43% of all improper payments across all federal agencies. At that time, the GAO stressed the need for the federal government to strengthen its efforts to prevent these improper payments, which could include billing errors, fraud and/or overpayments.

This is not misinformation on the part of Kiplinger, but rather it should identify the task assigned to DOGE. It also begs the question . . . if the GAO is AWARE  of billions in improper payments, why hasn’t anyone DONE anything to correct this obvious failure?

https://www.kiplinger.com/retirement/medicare/what-you-need-to-know-about-elon-musk-medicare

DOGE and Social Security - Kiplinger

The war cry of seniors is “Don’t touch my Social Security or Medicare! We PAID for this in advance and now it is time to collect.”.

Social Security was created in 1935 as part of FDR’s New Deal. The Great Depression triggered a vast expansion of government social welfare programs and “make work” tasks with the intention of getting folks back on their feet.

The Great Depression was caused by a combination of factors, including the stock market crash of 1929, bank failures, and the Federal Reserve's monetary policies.

For a list of the New Deal programs click the link.

https://livingnewdeal.org/history-of-the-new-deal/programs/

As a result of the early work of DOGE, it was discovered that 428 million people were listed in the Social Security database. Considering the current USA population is 340 million and roughly 70 million are collecting Social Security benefits makes you wonder if anyone in the SSA is paying attention.

Much has been made of Elon Musk’s reported statement that people who are 150 years old are collecting Social Security. I have viewed several videos of his White House comment. So far I have heard him say there are people on the SS roles who are 150 years old . . . and there are people who are receiving SS benefits but there is no identifying information in the files indicating who they are or why they are receiving Social Security. These are two separate statements, but somehow the news managed to merge the two without providing supporting documentation.

Several news outlets have stated categorically that Musk said there are people 150 years old who are collecting Social Security . . . yet the accompanying video doesn’t validate the narrative. Link to 1 minute video where Musk makes two distinctly different statements. One about allegedly dead people in the SSA database, followed by a second observation about folks receiving SS benefits but lacking identifying information about how/why they are being paid.

https://youtu.be/IatRmhSDths

You decide . . .

This seems to be misinformation on the part of the news agency. Alleging is to 

claim or assert that someone has done something illegal or wrong, typically without proof that this is the case. It seems to me that if anyone is alleging there are 150 year old individuals receiving Social Security benefits it is the news critters who are misquoting Musk.

And now for a bit of hyperbole . . .

Nancy Altman, President of Social Security Works, the non-profit focused on protecting and expanding Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. “They (DOGE) now have access to everything, which means if you applied for disability benefits they have thousands of pages of medical records. They have earnings statements all the way back when. They have access to when you got married and got divorced. The worst case is that they have taken a secure system and made it insecure.”

That access, says Altman, could open the Social Security system up to hackers who would have a treasure trove of information that could be used to defraud Americans, including older adults.

The DOGE team has “read only” access and does not have the ability to change or erase any personal information.

Further, there are severe penalties for anyone who disseminates personal information about your Social Security files.

Many organizations have access to your Social Security number (SSN), including businesses, government agencies, medical facilities, and educational institutions.

This includes: 

Other government agencies: The IRS and state motor vehicle agencies

Private businesses: Banks and credit reporting companies

Medical providers: Hospitals, clinics, doctors, and health information managers

School professionals: Teachers and other school staff

Third parties: Attorneys and claimant representatives

With all these different access points, it seems overstated that Mr. Musk and his team of 20 somethings have nefarious plans to misappropriate your personal data.

Someone should tell Nancy Altman her hair is on fire.

https://www.kiplinger.com/retirement/social-security/social-security-is-doges-new-focus

The USPS is Upside Down

In other news, water is wet . . .

USPS reported a $9.5 billion net loss for fiscal 2024, despite year-over-year growth in revenue and a reduction in its controllable expenses. The agency saw a $6.5 billion loss in FY 2023.

USPS officials said 80% of the agency’s losses came from fixed costs — including pension contributions for its retirees and workers’ compensation claims for employees injured on the job. 

In November, (Postmaster General) DeJoy warned that the post office, which has lost more than $100bn since 2007, must continue to cut costs or will remain on the path to either a “government bailout or the end of this great organization as we know it”.

USPS has seen a 80% DECREASE in volume of mail but ADDED 190,000 employees

Senator Rand Paul “Can you think of a private business where 80% of what they're, you know, doing to make money is going down in volume that would actually increase their employees?”

“You've insourced 190,000 jobs, and it's just sort of inexplicable”

https://federalnewsnetwork.com/management/2024/11/usps-sees-9-5b-net-loss-in-fy-2024-does-not-expect-to-hit-break-even-goal-next-year/

In Closing . . .

The national debt is $33 trillion . . .that is about $100,000 for every US citizen. Debt that will never be paid off unless something is done. The annual interest on the debt is $1 trillion.

We are short timers. In a few years we will be gone. Our children and grandchildren will inherit the bill for reckless, excessive spending.

This is not a Republican or Democrat problem. Both parties are to blame.

If something is not done now, Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid may not be around for the next generation . . . but the bills will still come due.

Feel free to pass this along . . .