Poverty among older and disabled adults remains substantial and persistent. While Social Security and the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program significantly reduce poverty among these groups, 14.1 percent of older adults and 23.2 percent of adults with disabilities were poor in 2022 using the supplemental poverty measure. A common proposal to reduce poverty rates among retirees is an enhanced Social Security minimum benefit focused on lifetime low earners. This policy, however, achieves only modest poverty reduction. The limited impact of the policy is rooted in a misunderstanding of the factors behind poverty among older and disabled adults as well as the interactions between Social Security, SSI, and Medicaid. A more effective policy would focus on enhancing SSI benefits.