Once an individual becomes entitled to Social Security, other dependents can make claims on their account if all other qualifications are met, even if they never paid into the system. Here's a list:.Get your health expense records up to date and review the Annual Notice of Change from your current plans: Drug and health plans send out their Annual Notice of Changes for 2022 in September through October of this year. Review those details to learn what might affect you in 202Start a list of costs, break down what you will pay for all premiums, any out-of-pocket costs that you typically pay. List what you spend out - of - pocket on dental, vision and hearing services, as well as any expenses such as eyeglasses and hearing aids. If you are comparing current Medigap coverage with Medicare Advantage, you will need to know what sort of services you are using and what you typically pay out - of - pocket now for those services, if anything. Worksheets maintained for tax purposes, statements, check registers may be an excellent source of this information..Non-citizens who are assigned a Social Security number on or after January 1, 2004, must receive legal work authorization at some point in order to file a claim for Social Security benefits. If they never get legal work authorization, then they can't legally file a claim. If at some point they do receive work authorization, as they would under immigration amnesty proposals, then all of their earnings would be used to determine entitlement for Social Security, even for jobs worked while illegal. If the worker kept records and could prove the earnings were theirs, the earnings would be re-instated to their authorized Social Security number and used to determine entitlement to benefits..Social Security and Medicare remain the targets of plans to reduce federal spending. Over the past 12 months, both Members of Congress and President Obama came close to agreeing on cuts to Social Security benefits, including cost-of-living adjustments and making seniors pay more for their Medicare. How much are Social Security benefits worth over a lifetime and what can you count on? A baby boomer retiring with an "average" benefit of ,100 in 2011 can expect to receive 0,225 over ten years, and 3,641 if he or she lives twenty-five years, due to the compounding effect of the cost-of-living adjustments..Fifty six percent of older adults think we need to invest more in Medicare in order to respond more quickly and effectively to a healthcare crisis like COVID-19, according to a new survey by The Senior Citizens League. "Boosting funding for Medicare is one of the most important issues for older voters this year," says Mary Johnson, a Medicare, and Social Security policy analyst for The Senior Citizens League..Members named to Congressional Conference Committee.I decide to water my flowerpots..In 2012, the GPO reduced, by nearly two-thirds, the Social Security benefits of nearly 600,000 surviving spouses who also collect a government pension. Nine out of 10 public employees affected by the GPO lose their entire spousal benefit, even though their spouse paid Social Security taxes for years..Because Medicare Advantage plans receive a capped monthly reimbursement for each beneficiary, TSCL is concerned that there is a potential financial incentive for Medicare Advantage plans to inappropriately deny some services or prescriptions in an attempt to increase their profits. Denial of medically necessary care and prescriptions can worsen your health, as well as leading to high out-of-pocket costs, financial burdens, and debt.