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More and more Georgians are dying of drug overdoses.  Drug overdoses have become a growing epidemic both in Georgia and nationally, increasing to skyrocketing rates since the COVID-19 pandemic. The Georgia Department of Public Health reports from 2019-2021, the total number of opioid-related overdose deaths increased from 853 to 1,718, an increase of 101%. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) report that nearly 100,000 people die in this country every year due to drug overdose.  Drug overdose deaths rose by 30% nationally during the pandemic.  Fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid often found in drugs such as cocaine, heroin, and counterfeit pills has driven most of the rise in deaths. From 2019 to 2021, fentanyl-related drug overdose deaths increased 124%, from 614 to 1,379. Non-fatal drug overdoses are also increasing in Georgia. From 2019 to 2021, emergency department visits and hospitalizations for drug overdoses increased 10%, from 24,886 to 27,388.

The opioid crisis is a complex issue that requires a multi-pronged approach to tackle.  Some new approaches  are being implemented to battle this epidemic.

1. Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT)

In 2021, The American Rescue Plan (ARP) implemented a One Year Child Tax Credit Expansion.   The ARP increased the credit from $2000 per child and it raised the age limit from 16 to 17 years.  The plan provided a credit for all working families earning up to $150,000 per couple or a single parent family earning $112,500.

President Joe Biden’s proposed budget for fiscal 2024 includes a reinstatement of the expanded child tax credit.  The Republicans and Senator Joe Manchin blocked the expansion of the child tax credit at the end of 2021.  The current child tax credit provides for $2000 per child.

The Brookings Institute  reported that the 2021 expanded child tax credit cut poverty in half across southern states.  The report noted that states with low cost of living and a high poverty rate had the most significant reduction in child poverty.  The tax credit had the most impact in states with large shares of historically vulnerable demographics, such as single mothers, rural families and Black communities.  The U.S. had a record low child poverty rate in 2021 down to 5.2% of the population, down 46% from the prior year.

Georgians receiving SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Progam) benefits will see cost of living adjustments for 2023.  Many of these adjustments actually began in October 2022.  The inflation rated adjustment bumped benefits up 12.5%.  A single individual receives $281 in benefits; a two person household receives $516; a three person household receives $740; and a four person household receives  $939.  Each additional person in the household receives $211.

To qualify for SNAP benefits households must have no more than the following in before tax annual income.  For a household of 1:  $17,667; for a household of 2,:  $23,803; for a household of 3:  $29,939 and for a household of 4:  $36,075.  For every additional person in the household, add $6136 per person.

The percentage of households in Georgia receiving SNAP benefits is 16.85 percent.  The average monthly benefits is $261.

Despite earlier judicial arguments by Republicans that abortion is a “state’s rights” issue, Senate Republican Lindsey Graham just introduced a national abortion ban at fifteen weeks  The bill includes procedures that are medication only abortions.  Moreover, the national abortion ban does not prevent states from enacting more restrictive abortion legislation.

Conservatives and libertarians traditionally reject federal over-reach.  However, some make exceptions for heavy-handed federal legislation when it involves controlling women’s bodies.  The concept that men, and some women entrenched in the patriarchal traditions, have the right to control a woman’s body over her own consent is, in essence, rape culture.  Allowing that a pregnant woman does not have autonomy over her reproductive choices is analogous to a culture that violates, intimidates and fails to respect her right to consensual sex.   Thus, abortion bans are just codified American rape culture.

This bill, coming just months after the Supreme Court removed a fifty year precedent of a right to abortion in Dobbs v. Jackson, proves that far right activists never intended to stop at state autonomy.  Moreover, we should not expect that this bill will be the limit of further national restrictions on gestational time periods for abortions, consensual sexuality between adults, same sex marriage or right to use contraception by women.

Catching COVID-19 a second or more time heightens one’s risk for contracting Long COVID.  A recent Veterans Administration Health Study found that the risk of Long COVID increased with each subsequent re-infection.  Long COVID symptoms include malaise, fatigue, pulmonary problems, neurological issues, cardiovascular abnormalities, gastrointestinal pain and mental health impairments.  The Kaiser Family Foundation reports that Long COVID may affect 10 to 33 million working age adults in the US.

The correlation between Long COVID and re-infection rates is concerning given that the newest Omicron subvariant – BA.5 — readily infects the vaccinated, the boosted and people with prior immunity.  BA.5 currently accounts for 82 percent of all infections in the U.S.  Subvariant BA.5  is particularly proficient in dodging vaccination and prior immunity guardrails.  The swift mutation of the COVID-19 virus and its mutated sub-variants alarms medical professionals attempting to get infections rates under control.  To add to this concern, experts report that subsequent infections may be causing extensive cumulative damage to the body even when the symptoms are mild.   Multiple infections can contribute to death, hospitalizaiton and long term damage to major organs

Long COVID symptoms impact a person’s ability to work.  Over 15 percent of unfilled jobs are now related to Long COVID.  Claims for Long COVID are affecting employer provided disability insurance, worker’s compensation and health insurance.  For those industries particularly prone to employee COVID infections, such as healthcare or manufacturing, they may be disproportionately affected by absenteeism and rising healthcare costs.

Can you invest your Social Security Disability benefits in a Roth IRA?

Roth IRAs are a type of individual retirement account that can allow you to save earned income while allowing that income to grow.  You can withdraw that income at a certain point of time in the future.  Roth IRAs are meant to be used to invest your after – tax  earnings.

Do Social Security disability benefits qualify as earned income to be invested in a Roth IRA?   The simple answer is NO.  Social Security disability benefits are not considered earned income.  However, if you are working part time  and have a source of income in addition to the benefits that you receive every month, this earned income can be invested in a  Roth IRA retirement account.  One caveat to working under substantial gainful employment (the maximum amount you can earn each month and still be considered disabled) is that these earnings might trigger a continuing disability review by Social Security to see if you are actually still medically disabled.  This is a risk undertaken when working while collecting disability.