"Despite having paid thousands of dollars each in Social Security and Medicare taxes during their working lives -- for which they never sought reimbursement -- the five plaintiffs were told by officials at the Social Security Administration and Department of Health and Human Services that they had to forfeit all of their Social Security benefits if they wished to withdraw from (or not enroll in) Medicare.... The plaintiffs sought a judicial ruling that would prohibit SSA and HHS from enforcing these policies, which they believed conflicted with the Social Security and Medicare statutes. A sharply divided U.S Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit eventually upheld [the policies]. By its decision not to hear the case, the Supreme Court let that controversial ruling stand."  MORE >>