McClatchy/Charleston Gazette Examines Proposal to Allow People 55-64 Buy In to Medicare
McClatchy/Charleston Gazette on Sunday examined a provision included in Senate Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus' (D-Mont.) health care overhaul proposal that would allow U.S. residents ages 55 to 64 to buy into Medicare. The provision calls for a higher monthly premium for beneficiaries younger than age 65 -- several hundreds of dollars monthly, according to McClatchy/Gazette -- but would offer the same benefits. Baucus said the buy-in option would remain available until the government develops a more comprehensive plan to address health care reform.Although the "idea has been around for years," it has "gained new currency as the recession deepens and a Democrat-run Congress and White House begin to discuss health care reform," according to McClatchy/Gazette. Commonwealth Fund policy analyst Stuart Guterman said, "The proposal has legs for the first time in years," adding, "Suddenly, the notion of buying into Medicare has friends in high places."
According to McClatchy/Gazette, many people between ages 55 to 64 -- "a time of life when serious or chronic health problems frequently crop up" -- are losing their health insurance. The recession is causing people to lose their jobs -- and subsequently their health coverage -- and employers to drop insurance plans, according to Lewin Group Senior Executive John Sheils. Sheils added that many companies have scaled back their insurance coverage for retirees. Advocates for the plan say it could help rein in government spending by preventing more costly conditions in the future.
Detractors of the plan have said that taxpayer money would be required to fund the expansion. James Capretta, a fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, said that if lawmakers do not subsidize early buy-ins using federal money, the high premium would be attractive only to people who cannot find coverage on the private market because of a pre-existing condition. He added that if the federal government does subsidize the program, it could cause people to leave private plans to join. He said, "That would be counter-productive. Our government's already overburdened with Social Security and Medicare obligations and ought to be persuading people to delay retirement" (McClatchy/Charleston Gazette, 3/1). This is part of the Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.
