Johnathan Brown

Social Security mattered deeply in retirement: 58% of recipients relied heavily or exclusively on benefits, and for many, it was their only retirement income.
Benefit math started with your 35 highest-earning yr, indexed into current dollars so older wages better reflected inflation and broader wage growth.
The agency divided indexed earnings across 35 yr of mo to get AIME. Fewer than 35 earning yr meant zeros filled missing years.
Next came bend points, the progressive formula that produced your primary insurance amount, or the monthly benefit available at full retirement age.
Claiming age changed payments. Starting early cut benefits monthly, reaching ~30% lower at 62 for people whose full retirement age was 67.
Waiting past full retirement age raised benefits by ~8% yearly until 70. After 70, delaying no longer increased monthly payments.
A common miss: not checking your earnings record. Your account showed reported wages and estimated benefits at different claiming ages, helping re

How Social Security Benefits Get Calculated

If a prescription was not covered, patients often faced full cost. Lower-cost generics, biosimilars, or alternatives were among the first options to discuss.
Patients were advised to raise cost concerns directly with prescribers, who may not know formulary details or out-of-pocket pricing under each plan.
Other cost-saving steps included comparing 90-day versus monthly fills, splitting higher-dose pills if approved, and asking prescribers for free medication samples.
If no affordable substitute worked, patients could request a formulary exception. Plans often required medical-necessity support and sometimes step therapy first.
Higher-tier or nonpreferred drugs could still cost more even when covered. In those cases, patients could ask insurers for a tier exception.