Medicare-for-All Alternatives Posted on 3/1/2019 at 19:17:29 by Bill Crawford, (14)
My daughter Sue, who is 54, mentioned the other night that one of the Medicare-for-All alternatives being discussed is lowering the Medicare eligibility age to 55. (I don't agree with this proposal--particularly since life expectancy is getting longer rather than shorter).
However, this got me to googling around to see what other Medicare-for-All alternatives are being discussed.
I agree with the conclusion of the first article that I came up with that the various alternatives should be analyzed, for the reasons pointed out in the article. (See below excerpt).
"..We don’t aim here to give anything close a complete analysis of the alternatives to Medicare-for-all, but it would behoove candidates and the media to start looking at the substance of various alternatives. One benefit of this would be to reacquaint voters and politicians with a simple proposition: More health care costs more, and we have to decide how to pay for it. Another benefit would be teasing out whether candidates actually disagree on the substance of their health-care approaches or just on the terminology..."
(I thought I had the complete article copied and ready for pasting, but now I can't seem to bring it up).
P.S. I came up with another article which described the other major alternative to Medicare for All.
Called "Buying in to Medicare", it is described below:
"....ANOTHER ALTERNATIVE TO MEDICARE FOR ALL
The number of patients receiving Medicare could be increased by letting some Americans (aged 55 through 64) “buy into” Medicare. They would pay an increased Medicare tax until they reach 65, at which time they would pay the same as others for Medicare coverage. Since they pay their way this should not increase Medicare costs.
Buying into Medicare before age 65 would be optional, not mandatory.
Those pleased with their coverage by employment-based insurance or other private insurance could keep their current insurance. Those not pleased with their current coverage or those without insurance could elect to buy into Medicare.
If buying into Medicare were successful it could pave the way into Medicare for all. Many Americans oppose change; but our health care system must change. The US can not continue to have a health care system that is the most expensive in the world and yet leaves many Americans, those who are uninsured, without lifesaving ongoing, preventative care.
As noted above, several of the public plan buy-in proposals would have premiums cover the costs of covered benefits for people who buy into the public plan, although the financing for additional costs (not yet estimated) are not specified. The Schatz Medicaid buy-in bill would finance the public plan with a combination of premiums and other revenues along with federal Medicaid matching payments. How these additional federal costs will be financed is not specified...."
However, as noted in both articles discussing the principal Medicare-for-All alternatives under consideration, they would both require as yet unspecified (and probably hefty) additional funding by the federal government.
