A 2026 study by Clever Real Estate found that 81% of retirees say they need more help from the government, a striking signal that the safety net is not keeping pace with real life costs. I see that frustration reflected in everything from medical bills to property taxes. Here are seven concrete ways retirees can tap existing programs and push for stronger protections so that 81% figure starts to fall instead of rise.
1) Underused Medicare benefits
Underused Medicare benefits sit at the center of what 81% of retirees say they want from government: practical, immediate relief with healthcare costs. Reporting on Underused Medicare Benefits notes that many older adults do not realize Medicare can cover preventive screenings, some home health services and annual wellness visits that could otherwise trigger big out-of-pocket bills. When retirees skip these, they often end up paying more later for avoidable complications.
I see a clear policy implication here: better outreach and simpler enrollment tools could convert existing Medicare rules into real savings. When 81% of retirees say they need more help from the government, they are not always asking for brand new programs, they are often asking for help navigating the ones that already exist. Closing that information gap would immediately lower medical risk and financial stress.
2) Extra support for home care
Home care is another area where retirees are missing out on help they already qualify for. Coverage details in the same research on home care benefits available through Medicare show that skilled nursing visits, therapy and limited home health aide services can be covered when a doctor certifies medical need. Yet many families still assume they must pay privately from day one, draining savings or forcing early moves into facilities.
For the 81% of retirees who say they want more government help, maximizing home care coverage can delay institutional care and preserve independence. I find that better coordination between hospital discharge planners, primary care doctors and local aging agencies would help retirees understand when Medicare will pay, when Medicaid might step in and when state programs can fill gaps, especially for low income households.
3) Inflation protection through Social Security
Social Security remains the backbone of retirement income, and public support for strengthening it is overwhelming. A report titled Social Security at 90: A Bipartisan Roadmap for notes that 90 years after its creation, Americans still strongly back the program and favor reforms that protect benefits for typical retirees while trimming advantages for high income retirees. That aligns with separate findings that 80 percent of retirees want Congress to improve the COLA formula so it better reflects seniors’ real inflation.
When I look at those numbers, I see a clear mandate for Congress to adjust COLA calculations and shore up long term funding. For the 81% of retirees who say they need more help from the government, a more accurate COLA and a stable Social Security trust fund would provide predictable, inflation protected income that private savings alone rarely match.
4) Stronger cost-of-living adjustments
Beyond Social Security’s base benefit, retirees are explicitly asking for better inflation protection. Advocacy research shows that 80 percent of retirees want Congress to improve the COLA so it tracks the prices older adults actually pay, especially for healthcare and housing. Current formulas often underweight these categories, which means checks can lag behind real world expenses even when COLAs look decent on paper.
For the 81% who say they need more help from the government, a more accurate COLA would function like an automatic raise that keeps essentials affordable. I see this as a technical fix with big human stakes: if COLAs fall short year after year, even careful savers can slide into hardship, while a better index would quietly protect millions without requiring new applications or complex paperwork.
5) Relief from rising property taxes
Property tax increases are hitting retirees on fixed incomes particularly hard, especially those who own modest homes in fast appreciating neighborhoods. Reporting on how Relief Programs Worth states offer homestead exemptions, assessment freezes and circuit breaker credits shows that targeted policies can cap taxes as a percentage of income or reduce assessed values for primary residences. Some jurisdictions even allow seniors to defer part of their bill until the home is sold.
From my perspective, these tools are exactly the kind of help the 81% of retirees are asking government to expand and simplify. When property taxes spike faster than Social Security checks, older homeowners can be forced to sell or cut back on essentials. Wider awareness and easier applications for these relief programs would directly reduce that pressure.
6) Better guidance on existing benefit programs
Even when programs exist, retirees often do not know where to start. Coverage of how retirees said they highlights that many older adults are unaware of energy assistance, food benefits or local tax credits that could ease monthly budgets. The same pattern appears in caregiver reporting, where Many family caregivers never apply for support because they assume it is “for someone worse off,” even when their income would qualify.
I see this as a navigation crisis rather than a pure funding problem. For the 81% of retirees who say they need more help from the government, a single, well publicized intake point that screens for multiple programs at once could be transformative, turning a maze of acronyms into a straightforward checklist of options.
7) Smarter planning using new retirement research
Fresh data is also reshaping how retirees think about their own budgets. A survey from Clever Real Estate found that retirees are spending more than they planned on four key categories, with healthcare often emerging as the one expense that shocks them. Another analysis on how 81% of retirees feel about government support underscores that expectations about “the retirement number” matter less than understanding actual spending patterns.
When I connect those findings, I see a path forward that blends personal planning with policy change. If retirees use this research to stress test their budgets and then press officials to shore up Medicare, Social Security and local tax relief, the 81% who say they need more help from the government can turn frustration into a concrete agenda for change.
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*This article was researched with the help of AI, with human editors creating the final content.
Nathaniel Cross focuses on retirement planning, employer benefits, and long-term income security. His writing covers pensions, social programs, investment vehicles, and strategies designed to protect financial independence later in life. At The Daily Overview, Nathaniel provides practical insight to help readers plan with confidence and foresight.
