10% of MA enrollees lost coverage in 2026: Almost 3 million people were forced to find new plans when insurers pulled out of unprofitable counties — about 30,000 had no other Medicare Advantage options left, and rural areas like New Hampshire (77,000 affected) and Vermont (35,000 affected) were hit hardest.

Traditional Medicare leaves 20% coverage gap many can't afford: Seniors forced to traditional Medicare only get 80% of doctor and outpatient costs covered — supplemental "medigap" plans to cover the remaining 20% cost around $200/month, forcing some to cancel follow-up appointments they can't afford.

The "too good to be true" perks are disappearing: Zero-premium plans with gym memberships, vision, dental, and over-the-counter allowances are vanishing as rising healthcare costs and reduced government reimbursements squeeze profit margins — some carriers like UnitedHealthcare exited counties with 600,000 beneficiaries, and the March 31 deadline to switch plans is approaching.

Partly true but misleading: Congress has spent money from Social Security Trust Funds for general government operations and left IOUs in exchange — but those bonds aren't worthless, they're special-issue U.S. Treasury bonds backed by the full faith and credit of the government and they pay interest to Social Security.

It's the law, not theft: By law, any surpluses above what's needed to pay benefits must be invested in these Treasury bonds — when those bonds are issued, the money goes into the Treasury's general fund that Congress uses to fund government programs, but this is how the system was designed to work.

Real problem is demographics, not theft: The Trust Funds will be depleted by 2033 due to lower worker-to-retiree ratios, people living longer, lower birth rates, and automatic COLAs — after depletion, payroll taxes will likely cover only 80% of benefits, so the focus should be on getting Congress to fix Social Security's finances.

Your Social Security is protected from garnishment: Federal law shields Social Security benefits (retirement, SSDI, SSI) from being seized by private creditors like credit card companies — banks must protect two months' worth of direct deposits from being frozen, so creditors threatening to take your Social Security are likely bluffing.

Ask about hardship programs before settling: Many credit card issuers offer programs for borrowers on fixed incomes with temporarily reduced interest rates, waived fees, or lower monthly payments — be direct about living on Social Security and ask what assistance they offer before jumping to a settlement offer.

Settlements and bankruptcy are options: If your account is delinquent, creditors often accept 50-70% of the balance in a lump-sum settlement — or if debt is too large to negotiate down, Chapter 7 bankruptcy could discharge it entirely since Social Security income is excluded from the means test calculation.