There's a lot at stake for seniors in the 2024 elections. Our political action committee (PAC) is busy endorsing candidates for Congress. How do we choose who to support --- and why is this an existential election for Social Security and Medicare? Our PAC director, Luke Warren, explains it all in this week's episode of "You Earned This." 

READ THE TRANSCRIPT HERE::: https://www.ncpssm.org/documents/transcript/your-earned-this-podcast-transcript-108/

The political right just won't stop claiming that Social Security is somehow a bad deal for younger adults. It's part of a 40-year scheme to divide the generations in order to weaken our number one social insurance program. This week's guest, Dean Baker of the Center for Economic & Policy Research, busts the "greedy geezers" myth --- and explains why right-wing messaging on Social Security permeates the mainstream media.

READ THE TRANSCRIPT HERE::: https://www.ncpssm.org/documents/transcript/your-earned-this-podcast-transcript-dean-baker-107/

Big Pharma rang in the New Year by hiking drug prices. Soaring drug costs are painful for seniors living on fixed incomes. But seniors on Medicare should be getting some much-needed relief from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Special guest Stacy Sanders tells us how the Biden administration and the IRA are saving older Americans money on their life-saving medications. Stacy is Counselor to the Secretary of Health & Human Services and the agency's Chief Competition Officer. 

READ THE TRANSCRIPT HERE::: https://www.ncpssm.org/documents/transcript/your-earned-this-podcast-transcript-106/

In part 2 of our conversation about Ageism, demographer Jay Olshansky debunks claims that Joe Biden is "too old" to be president.  But pundits and politicians like Nikki Haley continue to peddle the falsehood that chronological age is a disqualifying factor for holding high office. "This is classic ageism," says Jay, with plenty of evidence to back it up.

READ THE TRANSCRIPT HERE::: https://www.ncpssm.org/documents/transcript/you-earned-this-podcast-transcript-s-jay-olshansky-105/

Apparently it's still okay to devalue and ridicule older people in our society. Ageism creeps into everything from personal interactions to the debate over who is qualified to be president of the United States. Find out why --- and what we can do about it --- in part 1 of our interview with expert on aging S. Jay Olshansky of the University of Illinois.

READ THE TRANSCRIPT HERE::: https://www.ncpssm.org/documents/transcript/you-earned-this-podcast-transcript-s-jay-olshansky-104/

The last thing seniors on fixed incomes need is a letter from Social Security saying they owe the program money because of accidental overpayments of benefits. Special guest Kathleen Romig of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities explains this frustrating phenomenon, what beneficiaries can do if they receive an overpayment notice, and how the Social Security Adminisration might be able to fix the whole thing. 

READ THE TRANSCRIPT HERE::: https://www.ncpssm.org/documents/transcript/your-earned-this-podcast-transcript-103/

Medicare Advantage inusrance companies deluge seniors with misleading ads featuring celebrities like Joe Namath, Jimmy Walker and William Shatner, urging patients to sign up for privatized Medicare plans. But they don't tell customers that they're joining a glorified HMO with limited networks of providers --- and that they may be denied care. Our senior health policy expert Anne Montgomery joins us to break down the many disadvantages of Medicare Advantage --- with all due respect to Namath, Walker, and Captain Kirk.

READ THE TRANSCRIPT HERE::: https://www.ncpssm.org/documents/transcript/your-earned-this-podcast-transcript-102/

In our very first episode, President Franklin D. Roosevelt's grandson, Jim Roosevelt, talks with host Walter Gottlieb about his grandfather's greatest legacy, the Social Security program --- and the troubled agency (SSA) that administers benefits for 71 million beneficiaries every year. Jim also shares memories about his grandmother, Eleanor Roosevelt, including her committment to women's retirement security.  This bite-sized podcast is only 15 minutes long! 

READ THE TRANSCRIPT HERE::: https://www.ncpssm.org/documents/transcript/your-earned-this-podcast-transcript-101/