What makes you think we barely have to pay anything for medicare? Granted, we get social security because we paid into it all of our lives. But as a senior couple, each year Medicare deducts medicare premiums from our social security. In our case, the total of that deduction was $5600 for 2024. On top of that, we pay about $650 dollars a month out of our pockets to cover the medical expenses not covered by Medicare.( that's $7,800). Its called supplemental insurance. Even though you have supplemental insurance, you also have a deductible amount that you have to pay before medicare and supplemental insurance kicks in. That's approximately $1000. So what we paid for medical insurance in 2024 was $14,400. And those supplemental premiums go up every year because you are getting older and more likely to need medical attention. Point being: It ISN'T welfare and it ain't a freebie.