True, but I was just thinking, is not that also true of when you invest in the stock market or contribute to an IRA? The dollar amount you get is more than what you contributed; why is that OK and not OK for Social Security and Medicare? Maybe if you could look at them as investments, in order to help with income and health care costs when one is not longer working ("retired"). Obviously one shouldn't expect either to cover those needs in their entirety. That's where IRAs and Medicare Advantage plans come in, where you personally choose to contribute more towards retirement income and spend more for additional health care costs beyond what traditional Medicare covers.