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Senate Dems May Open Up Medicare To Pacify "Progressives"
Senate Democrats are discussing the idea of expanding Medicare by lowering the age at which the elderly could enter the government-run insurance program, Democratic sources on the Hill tell the Huffington Post.
The proposal would lower the age of eligibility for Medicare from 65 to 55, though an age limit of 60 has also been suggested. Crucial details -- such as the timing of the implementation of such a reform -- were not provided due to the sensitivity and ongoing nature of the deliberations. A high-ranking Democratic source off the Hill confirmed that such discussions are taking place.
Lowering the floor for Medicare is one of several ideas being discussed as a way to pacify progressives upset over the potential elimination of a public option for insurance coverage, one of the sources added. Senate Democrats held discussions this past weekend about replacing Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's version of a public plan with one that would be non-profit-based. The alternative proposal would be offered in state exchanges, run by private insurers but monitored by the Office of Personnel Management.
"The Office Personal Management proposal that has been out there for the past couple days is one of the leading ideas to represent the public option in a modified bill. But there are a series of things that progressives are negotiating in exchange for dropping the [public option] opt-out," said the source.
Expanding Medicare would likely prove to be a tempting olive branch to progressives in the Senate. Former DNC Chairman Howard Dean, in addition to championing such a proposal during the 2004 presidential campaign, has long discussed framing the public plan as an extension of Medicare, one of the most popular government-run programs in the country.
But there are potential complications with the compromise proposal. Medicare already is on an increasingly expensive financial track, though efforts to cut some of the budgetary waste from the system have met with forceful pushback from moderates and Republicans in the Senate. In addition, the Senate weakened a proposed Medicare Commission, which would have been granted autonomy to suggest or pursue money-saving proposals.
"Moderates have made a whole campaign about how Medicare bankrupts hospitals and doctors," said one Democratic health care strategist. "So I doubt they'd go for [the lowering the Medicare age buy-in proposal]. And for progressives, well, it's not much of an olive branch. It doesn't solve the problem [of reforming the private industry]."
UPDATE: Politico reports on a slight variation of the proposal above:
The group of 10 Democrats working to break an impasse on the government insurance option are considering changes to other parts of the bill, including creating a Medicare buy-in, according to multiple officials familiar with the talks.The Medicare buy-in could allay the concerns of progressives, who are being pressured to abandon the public option. It would allow people younger than 65 to purchase coverage in the popular government program for the elderly -- and it would be a significant win for Democrats, who have been seeking this change for years.
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9 Comments so far
Show AllHammer. Nail. Head.
Open it up to anyone, no matter what their age!
Or we could replace the overly complicated, overly compromised House and Senate bills with Medicare for All.
Senate Bill S-703, House of Reps bill HR-676. They're both already in committees.
Is your congress-critter behaving like a leader or a tool of the insurance industry? Call yours please!
Yep. Lower it to -0.75, or thereabouts.
I'm not an economist but my mom is waiting to retire specifically for Medicare. Could earlier enrollment step up retirement and open up those jobs? Or is the overall impact a net economic loss?
Lowering the age for Medicare does two things. It helps people retire who want to allowing younger people a shot at their jobs and broadens the base for all insured under medicare.
It is not enough to just lower the age, they have to fund it too. We should not just settle for some nominal reform, we have to demand real reform. Give us what congress has for health care.
Liberals are too cerebral. We need some of that neanderthal clubbing approach of the right and let congress have it as well as the president who promises much but delivers little. That is not change, that is just more of the same.
There has been very little information heard anywhere about how seniors could be helped. I've been signing petitions sent out by a few progressive grass roots' sites to keep what we currently have because medicare and social security are constantly under fire of being taken by our politicians. Our country needs and has every right to demand "single payer" which would require little overhead and would require the private insurance industry to make ALL the changes WE ALL WANT! What's wrong with the Repubs and Blue Dog democrats other than greed? I'll sign any petition to remove the obstructionist Repubs and Blue Dog democrats from office NOW! These are NOT real Americans--only financial terrorists supporting the staus quo Fascists put into office by Bush and kept in office by Obama!!
Medicare should be lowered from 65 and extended up gradually from birth.
The "window" of no coverage by Medicare is birth through 64. To close that window and get Medicare for all we can lower the age by five years every, say, two years. And also raise the lower age coverage by five years every two years. That way the 65 year Medicare non-coverage window closes by 10 years every two. In 2010 it closes to 55 years, with six through 54 year-olds not covered. In 2012 it closes to 45 years with 11 to 49 year-olds not covered. In 2014, it closes to 35 years with 16 to 44 year-olds not covered. 2016, 21 to 39; 2018, 26 to 34. In 2018, each American is covered by Medicare.
Simple. S. I. M. P. L. E.
Not hard to understand.
The resulting bureaucratic efficiencies will fund much of it. And taxes on the rich. And taxes on financial speculation.
Oh, and the last people to get the new Medicare for All coverage are those who need it the least.
This gradual phasing in of Medicare for All will help members of the corporate insurance industry find meaningful work that doesn't involve illness profiteering.
We only need more true progressives (who care about the well-being and health of regular human beings) in Congress in order to get this *real* health care reform.
I have to think about lowering the age of medicare to 55, but am concerned that if the idea is not to include everyone eventually, I would not support it. This may be slightly more attractive than the supposed public option.
I certainly don't support public option at all, not in any manner, and will support any effort, republican, Lieberman (I'm being redundant) and progressive democrats to kill the public option bill.
Medicare should be opened to everyone as an option. For those under the age limit, buying into it on a sliding scale based on income would pay for expanding the program.