Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Clinton's Plan To Expand Medicare Might Bring Coverage To 7 Million Uninsured: Study
CNBC: Clinton Medicare Plan Could Cover 13M, But Boost Some Obamacare Costs
Nearly 13 million Americans age 50 to 64 who lack insurance or buy private health plans would be eligible to buy into an expanded Medicare program that the Democratic presidential contender has proposed, according to an analysis released Thursday. The Avalere Health consultancy, which conducted the analysis, said those currently without health insurance in that age group — about 7 million or so people — could "potentially benefit" from Clinton's proposal. But Avalere's report also said "it is not immediately evident that Medicare coverage would be a better option for all people over 50," as some of them would face higher costs if they moved into the new coverage option. (Mangan, 5/19)
Forbes: Hillary Clinton's Medicare 'Buy In' Could Cover 7M Uninsured
But it’s unclear whether an expansion of Medicare to age 50 would bring a better deal for Americans, the Avalere report said. It could be more expensive. “Medicare does not include any out-of-pocket cap, so beneficiaries with high healthcare costs could pay more out-of-pocket with Medicare coverage compared to employer or exchange plan coverage,” the report by Avalere’s Caroline Pearson said. (Japsen, 5/20)
The Hill: New Analysis Finds Sanders's Plans Would Add $19 Trillion To Debt
The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB) says the proposals of Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders would add $19 trillion to the debt — an increase from its previous estimate. In an analysis published in April, the CRFB estimated that the Independent senator's proposals would add $2 trillion to $15 trillion to the debt, depending on the cost of Sanders's single-payer healthcare plan. Since then, two new independent analyses have found that the healthcare plan "would cost dramatically more than the campaign-provided estimates suggest," the CRFB said Thursday in its updated analysis. (Jagoda, 5/19)
