Musk's War on the Elderly

Some of the changes Elon Musk’s young DOGE staffers are making to Social Security exhibit at best an ignorance about the circumstances of elderly people and at worst cruelty.

According to Axios:

“Effective March 31, Americans won't be able to call and sign up for Social Security benefits, or make major changes to their accounts that require ID verification. They either must use the internet or visit a field office, not an easy option for many of the people who most rely on Social Security.”

While it may sound reasonable to require those receiving payments to report in person to verify their identity rather than online or over the phone, it’s not that simple.

Many elderly recipients of Social Security have limited or no mobility. For these people, an exemption from the in-person requirement is necessary, because they cannot get to an office to present their ID.

The DOGE staffers also plan to close many Social Security office around the country, which will exacerbate the problem. It’s physically challenging for many elderly and disabled people to wait in the lines that already exist. Closing local offices will only worsen the situation.

Musk has pushed debunked theories about Social Security and described the federal benefit programs as a “ Ponzi scheme ” rife with fraud. But the $100 million in fraud he alleges represents only about 0.00625% of the $1.6 trillion the government sends out each year in Social Security benefits.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said he is concerned that “some of our oldest Kentuckians, who are living on a fixed income, who don’t have the resources to travel, have to travel hours to get basic questions answered.”

He adds, “My concern is that what Elon Musk is trying to do is break government, not fix it.”

I understand the drive to eliminate waste, fraud and abuse, but in this case, they are threatening to throw the baby — ie. Grandma — out with the bathwater.

Sadly, this is only one example of systematic ageism running through the Trump administration’s dismantling of federal government agencies.

***

Regarding aging and health, my admittedly imperfect understanding of how the human body works is that it is essentially an interlocking series of systems that gradually break down as part of the aging process.

And sometimes not so gradually but all of a sudden. Recently the challenges to health I’ve been confronting have given me a new appreciation for the healthy interludes we still do have, because increasingly they can seem like the exception, not the rule.

So it goes, in my late 70s. I wish you the best of health!

HEADLINES:

• Social Security in-person identity checks opposed by advocates and retirees alike (AP)

• Proposed Trump policy could force thousands of citizens applying for Social Security benefits to verify their identities in person (Fortune)

• DOGE Social Security plan targets small fraud at possible high cost (Axios)

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