Social Security and Medicare

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Federal programs that provide support and health care to elderly and disabled individuals.

Social Security Retirement Benefits: Understanding how retirement benefits are calculated, eligibility requirements, and options for claiming benefits.
Social Security Disability Benefits: Eligibility requirements, the application process, and available benefits for individuals with disabilities.
Social Security Survivor Benefits: Eligibility requirements and available benefits for a spouse, children, or other dependents of a deceased Social Security recipient.
Medicare Parts A, B, C, and D: Understanding what each part covers and how to enroll in Medicare.
Medicare Advantage Plans: Understanding the types of Medicare Advantage plans available and how they differ from traditional Medicare.
Medicare Supplement Insurance: Understanding how Medicare Supplement insurance can help cover out-of-pocket healthcare expenses.
Healthcare costs and coverage: Understanding the costs and different types of healthcare coverage available through Medicare, including deductibles, copayments, and coinsurance.
Healthcare fraud and abuse: Understanding how to recognize and report healthcare fraud and abuse, including Medicare fraud.
Aging and Long-term care: Understanding the physical, mental, and social changes that accompany aging, as well as options for long-term care.
Elder abuse and neglect: Understanding how to recognize and report elder abuse and neglect, including financial exploitation.
Estate planning: Understanding the importance of estate planning and options for transferring assets to heirs.
Social Security and Medicare advocacy: Understanding current legislation and advocacy efforts related to Social Security and Medicare.
Disability rights and accommodation: Understanding how to advocate for individuals with disabilities and ensure they receive the necessary accommodations in healthcare.
Cultural competency and diversity: Understanding the diverse needs and beliefs of aging individuals from different cultural backgrounds, including language and communication.
Palliative and hospice care: Understanding the difference between palliative and hospice care, as well as options for end-of-life care.
Retirement benefits: A regular monthly payment is provided when a person retires and has paid into Social Security during their working years.
Disability benefits: Monthly payments are provided to people who become disabled and have limited earning capacity.
Survivor benefits: Monthly payments are provided to the family members of a deceased worker who was eligible for Social Security benefits.
Supplemental Security Income (SSI): A program that provides financial assistance to low-income individuals who are aged, blind, or disabled.
Medicare: A federal health insurance program for people who are 65 or older, or younger individuals with certain disabilities or medical conditions.
Medicare Part A: Hospital insurance that covers inpatient hospital stays, hospice care, and skilled nursing facility care.
Medicare Part B: Medical insurance that covers doctor visits, outpatient services, and preventive screenings.
Medicare Part C: Also known as Medicare Advantage, these are private insurance plans that offer all benefits of Part A and B, and sometimes additional services like dental, vision, and hearing.
Medicare Part D: Prescription drug coverage that helps pay for the cost of prescription medications.
Medigap: Private supplemental insurance that covers some of the out-of-pocket costs associated with Original Medicare, such as copayments, coinsurance, and deductibles.
Quote: "In the United States, Social Security is the commonly used term for the federal Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) program and is administered by the Social Security Administration (SSA)."
Quote: "The original Social Security Act was enacted in 1935, and the current version of the Act, as amended, encompasses several social welfare and social insurance programs."
Quote: "The average monthly Social Security benefit for November 2022 was $1,551."
Quote: "The total cost of the Social Security program for the year 2021 was $1.145 trillion or about 5 percent of U.S. GDP."
Quote: "Social Security is funded primarily through payroll taxes called Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) or Self Employed Contributions Act (SECA)."
Quote: "In 2022, the maximum amount of taxable earnings is $147,000."
Quote: "Social Security is nearly universal, with 94 percent of individuals in paid employment in the United States working in covered employment."
Quote: "About 6.6 million state and local government workers in the United States, or 28 percent of all state and local workers, are not covered by Social Security."
Quote: "Social Security payroll taxes are collected by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and are formally entrusted to the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance (OASI) Trust Fund and the Federal Disability Insurance (DI) Trust Fund."
Quote: "Social Security revenues exceeded expenditures between 1983 and 2009 which increased trust fund balances."
Quote: "The retirement of the large baby-boom generation, however, will lower balances."
Quote: "Without legislative changes, trust fund reserves are projected to be depleted in 2033 for the OASI fund."
Quote: "Should depletion occur, incoming payroll tax and other revenue would only be sufficient to pay 77 percent of OASI benefits starting in 2034."
Quote: "With few exceptions, all legal residents working in the United States now have an individual Social Security Number."
Quote: "Social Security is administered by the Social Security Administration (SSA)."
Quote: "Social Security payroll taxes are formally entrusted to the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance (OASI) Trust Fund and the Federal Disability Insurance (DI) Trust Fund."
Quote: "Social Security revenues exceeded expenditures between 1983 and 2009."
Quote: "The total cost of the Social Security program for the year 2021 was $1.145 trillion or about 5 percent of U.S. GDP."
Quote: "About 6.6 million state and local government workers in the United States, or 28 percent of all state and local workers, are not covered by Social Security."
Quote: "Should depletion occur, incoming payroll tax and other revenue would only be sufficient to pay 77 percent of OASI benefits starting in 2034."