I was a non-believer
I didn’t believe in Social Security before my unexpected disability struck. Like many taxpayers, I grumbled about the FICA/Medicare deductions that reduced my paycheck. What were those deductions for? Where were they going? I just did not understand.
But after my unfortunate disability, I experienced how Social Security benefit payments helped me financially, keeping me afloat for the last 8 years. That experience completely changed my belief about the system.
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I was never a big advocate of Social Security and Medicare before. But now I am. Had this system not been in place, my family and I would have scrabbled to just survive financially. I want to stress the fact that the benefit payments are not a freebie or a government handout – it’s what one pays into the system. These Social Security benefit payments shored up my dignity, self-esteem, pride, and self-respect. Here’s why.
A life-changing moment
Almost 8 years ago, I suffered a massive stroke without any warning. I was incredibly lucky to survive it and I am grateful, but it changed my life overnight. After two major brain surgeries that saved my life, I spent thirty days in a coma in the ICU and the next thirty days in a rehab facility. Before the stroke, I was going at a hundred miles an hour; now I was barely able to walk. My life changed forever. I am still recovering from this blow. I was forty-seven with a young family when it happened, and I was staring at a long recovery ahead. I couldn’t go back to work and the resulting loss of income was a life-changing moment for me and my family.
So, how did I survive financially?
Thanks to Social Security! I had worked 20+ years and had grudgingly contributed to FICA/Medicare taxes. Now I started to receive the benefit payments as my case was severe and I qualified for disability. The benefit payments were life-saving for us, as was the fact that I also qualified for Medicare for which the premiums I paid were substantially lower than the COBRA premiums I was paying. All the angst and frustration of paying those taxes over the years have gone. If eligible, you can receive these payments till you die and even if you move to any other country barring a few.
I was never a big advocate of Social Security and Medicare before. But now I am for sure.
I hope to get back to work in the future. But if I am unable to, Social Security will continue to be my savior. I recently moved back to my native India for health reasons after three decades in the U.S. I continue to get my Social Security benefit payments – my eligibility ensures that my benefits are paid to me as I have contributed to the system.
Making the case for Social Security
As America heads into another important election, as a centrist and fiercely independent voter, I want to make a case for this system. Although I discovered this after a major crisis, I want others facing disability or who will be retiring to realize that this system does work. No doubt both Social Security and Medicare can be improved; they are not perfect. But they do provide a safety net for one whether it is a disability as in my case or retirement for others and the benefits do not end at any age – they are paid till you die.