# Social Security increase for 2019



## Don M. (Dec 4, 2018)

We got out SS statements for next year, in the mail, yesterday.  It looks like there will be a modest increase of about $70/month, after the Medicare increases.  It's not much, but better than previous years.


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## Ruth n Jersey (Dec 4, 2018)

We haven't received ours yet but am anxious to see what the increase will be. I'm also happy that the CD rates have gotten a little better. I'm not one to take chances so I stick to Cd's.


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## mathjak107 (Dec 4, 2018)

inflation is already higher  and those cd rates will give you negative real returns  so higher rates usually just equates to higher inflation wiping it out. after inflation and taxes usually you are behind .


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## Marie5656 (Dec 7, 2018)

*​Got ours.  I am getting $24 and husband getting $36.  Better than nothing.  *


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## fmdog44 (Dec 7, 2018)

Marie5656 said:


> *​Got ours.  I am getting $24 and husband getting $36.  Better than nothing.  *



$24 = 0.15/hr. $36 = 0.225/hr. based on 40 hours/week Our government in action meanwhile my insurance rate are up.


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## Linda (Dec 8, 2018)

Oh yes, we'll be flying to Europe with our SS increase!


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## mathjak107 (Dec 8, 2018)

fmdog44 said:


> $24 = 0.15/hr. $36 = 0.225/hr. based on 40 hours/week Our government in action meanwhile my insurance rate are up.


Only difference is at work your insurance increases could be over a thousand with no raise.   a silver plan for my sister this year is 1700 a month in arizona with 6500 deductible  oh , and no raise at work ...

lets all be happy with our deal with ss and medicare .


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## fmdog44 (Dec 8, 2018)

mathjak107 said:


> Only difference is at work your insurance increases could be over a thousand with no raise.   a silver plan for my sister this year is 1700 a month in arizona with 6500 deductible  oh , and no raise at work ...
> 
> lets all be happy with our deal with ss and medicare .



I retired three years ago but $1,700/mo. for insurance is absurd especially a silver plan. That is $425.00/wk. I would like to see that plan!!!


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## mathjak107 (Dec 8, 2018)

yo can go right to the aca website . arizona has one or two  insurer's left selling aca plans where they are  . i just asked her what she settled on .   she ended up going  with one that is 1400 a month for her at age 61  . it  is an hmo .. the bizarre part is they have surgeons listed that have no member hospital listed .  she is searching for a back surgeon .


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## mathjak107 (Dec 8, 2018)

just about all insurers pulled out of their market place

https://www.abc15.com/news/let-joe-know/two-arizona-health-insurers-plan-to-sell-coverage-in-2018


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## Butterfly (Dec 8, 2018)

I do not see how average working people can afford those insurance premiums.  I could never have afforded to pay $1,700 a month for insurance.  I imagine many, many people will become uninsured again.  At those rates, I hate to think what insurance for a family would cost.   Most of the people I know would just be out of luck.


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## mathjak107 (Dec 9, 2018)

most are forced to work longer to get coverage .  my sister is looking to work at least 30 hours a week in order  to get  coverage. she really did not want to  but her cobra was up so she needs to get from 62 to 65. before i was on medicare i had two insurers here in ny fail .what  a hassle that was .

many are just taking catastrophic insurance and were paying the fine . that is all you ended up with any way with the aca plans  since deductibles and copays were so high . the end result  was the healthy were not paying for the unhealthy and one by one the insurers have been pulling out or failing .

medicare is a bargain in comparison .

just medicare part  B  is actually 11k per person.  but depending on income the gov't is picking up  as much as  75% of that for us .  the highest income levels have the gov't  kicking in only 20% of the cost of part B .  we basically paid for part  A by working all our lives so now that is free for us but we paid in a fortune over the years for that coverage . so all in all we are paying close to that 14-17k per person on medicare only the gov't is picking up a big chunk for us .

when you have an advantage plan , the gov't actually gives them almost 11k a year to  handle  you .  that is why insurers love advantage plans . especially if you are healthy they want you .  your 11k they get from medicare to handle you has to offset all those big users they have that were on their dime now .

so this is why i always say an advantage plan is very different then gov't medicare . basically the gov't hands 11k to the insurer , divorces you and now you are their problem . that insurer needs to retain as much as that 11k as they can and they don't care what they cut from your procedures to do it where they can justify their action .


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## Trade (Dec 9, 2018)

mathjak107 said:


> so this is why i always say an advantage plan is very different then gov't medicare . basically the gov't hands 11k to the insurer , divorces you and now you are their problem . that insurer needs to retain as much as that 11k as they can and they don't care what they cut from your procedures to do it where they can justify their action .



This is exactly right. And why I will never give up my traditional Medicare for an advantage plan .


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## Butterfly (Dec 9, 2018)

I imagine the premiums are also quite high for younger working families -- I just don't see how people can continue to manage to carry health insurance at these rates.


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## mathjak107 (Dec 9, 2018)

Butterfly said:


> I imagine the premiums are also quite high for younger working families -- I just don't see how people can continue to manage to carry health insurance at these rates.




they are very different when you get it through the work place . what i was paying for my wife and i when i was working  was  less then what i paid for me alone , plus had a 4500 deductible too


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## SeaBreeze (Dec 12, 2018)

Neither of us have applied for Social Security yet, but I have a question.  If you apply between birth dates, do you receive the benefit from the statement related to your previous birth date, or do you get a higher amount if you apply, let's say, 6 months after your last birth date?


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## mathjak107 (Dec 13, 2018)

it depends , are you filing pre fra or after . it matters .  under fra you get increased right up until the month you file .

however after fra works differently .. 

delayed credits after fra are calculated in january once a year .

so if you filed in july as an example and are over fra you will get last january's amount  until the following january when it is calculated again   and then you get increased  to include last years credits going forward .

however the gotcha is there is nothing retro for the previous year  that you get . you never see the retro money from  july to dec .   you only get the credits going forward in january but not retro .

if you file at years end for starting in january you won't lose any of the retro money since they calculate credits in january.

this is a ss gotcha few are aware of after fra .


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## JimW (Dec 13, 2018)

mathjak107 said:


> they are very different when you get it through the work place . what i was paying for my wife and i when i was working  was  less then what i paid for me alone , plus had a 4500 deductible too




That's correct, the workplace rates are very different. We currently pay $95 per week through my work for a Blue Cross PPO couple's plan with a $2K deductible each. Doctor's office visits come with a $35 copay until the deductible is hit. The one thing I like about a PPO over an HMO is no referrals are required, we can see any Dr we want at anytime so long as they are in the Blue Cross network, which almost every Dr is. This was the first year that either of us actually hit our deductible. With my foot surgery, I wiped out the $2K in no time.


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## SeaBreeze (Dec 13, 2018)

Thanks for the info Mathjak, it would be after full retirement age for us.


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## mathjak107 (Dec 13, 2018)

yeah , that is  a gotcha because you never recoup the money after fra  because they only do your delayed credits once a year in january . everything  due  you is paid going forward but nothing retro


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## fmdog44 (Dec 13, 2018)

+$58.60 for me


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## mathjak107 (Dec 13, 2018)

we did good too. between my wife and i we got about 1100 a year more or 93 a month


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## KingsX (Dec 20, 2018)

Ruth n Jersey said:


> We haven't received ours yet but am anxious to see what the increase will be. I'm also happy that the CD rates have gotten a little better. I'm not one to take chances so I stick to Cd's.




Received my SS letter earlier this week.  Glad to get the additional $33 a month.

A local bank here is offering a 5 year CD at 3.75% rate.

I am so happy all my investment money is in bank CDs which always increase in value, slow but steady and dependable... while the risky stock market is now crashing.

.


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## OneEyedDiva (Jan 11, 2019)

mathjak107 said:


> Only difference is at work your insurance increases could be over a thousand with no raise.   a silver plan for my sister this year is 1700 a month in arizona with 6500 deductible  oh , and no raise at work ...
> 
> lets all be happy with our deal with ss and medicare .



That's ridiculous and a damned shame! Reminds me of the insane pricing of COBRA which is supposed to be so people who lose or leave their jobs can maintain coverage.  I think when I last checked over a decade ago, it was $800 a month. Thank God I never had to use it but I was curious.


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## mathjak107 (Jan 11, 2019)

my sister ended up going back to work for 30 hours so she could get work place insurance


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