How will the retirement age increasing for Social Security affect Medicare?

One more thought on this..... my dear FIL retired at 62. Not because he wanted to, but because he had worked very physical jobs all his life and his body was literally breaking down because of it. Nerve damage, bone/joint problems, falls, and all of the problems that can come with shift work (eating/sleeping at odd times, etc). Believe me, he was counting down the hours to retirement and he miraculously was able to hang on to 62. I'm grateful he had a few years of retirement because he was dead not terribly long after that "early" retirement. Some people simply cannot keep working. Depends on the person and the type of work they do.

I agree wholeheartedly with the points made by others regarding financial responsibility and retirement. And I agree these ideas should be taught in the home or at least in the schools. I worked in the financial industry for nearly a decade until I couldn't take it anymore. No money? Get a loan! Can't get a loan? Get a cosigner! Save for retirement? Your generation won't EVER retire, so go ahead and spend, spend, spend! With today's culture, it's not hard to get folks to part with their money and old-fashioned saving is covertly discouraged. IMHO, every 18 year old should be escorted to the bank or credit union by a parent/guardian and assisted in setting up checking, savings, and an IRA. This would be a minimum. And the foundation in doing so should be in place long before that.

As said, SS was never meant as something that would be enough to live on. By 65 you should not be raising children. Should not have a Mortgage and should have savings.

SS at 65 receiving 100% has not been for a while. My DH was born 1947. To receive full 100% he had to be 66. I started collecting at 62 and got 75%.

https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/retirement/planner/1943-delay.html

I am fortunate enough that I had a very privileged upbringing and my parents did everything to teach us about proper savings. Also helps my parents started me in investing early on.

I do think the social contract or language around SS should be adjusted in the public sphere. We need to be far more transparent on the national scale that SS is not meant to be one's entire plan.

I also feel schools and parents should be teaching about investing for your future, living within a budget etc... from an early age. I am glad my family had the means and experience to teach me about saving and how to growth wealth from an early age.

Social Security is the one thing that the American People still agree upon. This system will not be going anywhere.
I feel kind of guilty here. Retired at 62. Have already had from Uncle Sam much more than I ever put into the system, and as an RN who made pretty good money and paid pretty decent taxes (quite happily in fact), I put a lot in. Alas. We live longer.
Certainly, sometime in the future, things will be changed. I think it is highly unlikely we can predict now what ways they will change. My advice, work hard, save even harder, and best of luck to each and every one of us.

Noko, people have been saying that for 4 decades now.

If something doesn't change with administration of and collection of SS you are right. (Remove the income cap and save the system, is my opinion.)

I started a decade before your age putting money away for retirement. Because even if it survived, I would never collect enough for the lifestyle my wages created.

Unfortunately, many people did and do view SS as the retirement plan, mostly because their grandparents survived on it. Times have changed and ideas need updating but, many don't even want to work nowadays, so, whadda ya do?

I have accepted as someone in their late 20’s I will not see any SS or government benefits. I am also ready for the new water world life style.

Jokes aside was SS really ever meant to be solely what you retire on?

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I have read articles where Medicare has been proposed to keep in step with the SS full benefit age and others where it has been proposed to start at 60.
Currently it is still set at 65.