W: The Planner, The Chosen by Alexandra Swann, Joyce Swann

interrupted anyway, “That is just typical. We paid all of our lives into the Social Security system, and, of course, when you’re self-employed you pay in twice—once to cover your portion and then once to cover your employer’s—and now, when we need it, they just go and cancel it on us.”
    Janine chimed in, “I am just so sick of hearing about Social Security Entitlements.  This is not an entitlement; this is not a welfare check for getting old. This is our government-sponsored retirement. It was not a tax—it was supposed to be to make sure that we would have some money to live on. Every year for as long as I can remember I have been getting those stupid little letters that start with, ‘If you started collecting Social Security today, your benefit would be…’  And now they are going to just say, ‘It doesn’t matter that you worked your whole life, you don’t get anything.’”
    “No, that isn’t it at all,” Kris attempted to steer the conversation back on track. “I learned in my training that the average Social Security check is about $1200.00 a month. The government is sending out tens of millions—in a few years it will be close to one hundred million—checks for $1200 a month. That’s not enough money for anybody to live on, but it represents billions and billions of dollars to the Treasury.
    “And then, you start getting your ‘free’ healthcare for Medicare Part A, but Medicare Part A doesn’t actually pay much of anything, so you have to have part B, and then a supplement, and then a second supplement to cover all of the stuff the first supplement didn’t cover, and then you have to find a doctor who takes Medicare and your supplement—it’s ridiculous. Suddenly, you are spending hundreds of dollars a month for ‘free’ healthcare, and you wait how long to find a doctor who will accept Medicare and your insurance supplement?
    “The Retire America Act and the Smart Seniors Act is designed to fix all of that. The government is going to provide each senior with brand-new fully furnished housing in the Smart Seniors community. The FMPD is building the communities—the one that I will be managing is not far from here.  Each unit in this community is for couples; there is a science behind this new initiative that says that people are happier and live longer when they are around other people like them, so the community is designed to put people together who are as similar culturally and economically as possible.
    “Each community has a clinic on site that is open twelve hours a day, fully staffed with one primary care physician and one PA per 100 people in the community and a full nursing staff. You do not need an appointment to get medical care; you just walk over to the clinic. The community doctor becomes your primary care physician. If you need a specialist, he will recommend one to you and your bills, with very few exceptions, will be completely covered by the Smart Seniors’ program.
    “Your food is provided through the dining hall. A dietician prepares all of the menus and supervises the food.  Just like with my community, there is no shopping, no cooking, no cleaning up. The dining hall has the same vibe as a trendy restaurant—modern décor, candlelight on each table.  It’s nice.
    “You don’t have any more maintenance, cooking, cleaning, anything….”
    “So how does this work, Krissy?  We sell our house and buy an apartment?” her mother asked.
    “No, in reality you are not buying or selling anything.  You transfer ownership of your home and your assets to the FMPD in exchange for a guaranteed life-lease. You will not own the unit, but you are guaranteed possession of that unit for the rest of your life. You will receive three meals a day at the dining hall, monthly credits automatically deposited into a credit account in the community to use at any of the stores or shops inside the community, and transportation credits for the commuter train or the