Democrats also want to make more older adults dependent on government for health care by reducing the eligibility age for Medicare from 65 to 60. That could add 20 million people to the program and cost up to $100 billion every year, according to a recent Harvard analysis.
This age group is least in need of a federal handout. More than 90 percent of those between 60 and 65 already have insurance. One recent analysis found that the low-income Americans the reform is intended to help could actually pay more under Medicare than they currently do, given that many qualify for subsidized plans under Obamacare.
In addition, the budget-reconciliation package aims to expand public coverage for low-income Americans. Already, about 75 million people get coverage through Medicaid. Democrats want to create a federally funded, Medicaid-like “public option” plan for the 4.4 million people who would be eligible for the program under the terms of Obamacare but live in one of the twelve states that have declined to expand their programs.
Combined with enrollees in the Children’s Health Insurance Program, that could increase Medicaid’s total enrollment to over 87 million. That’s more than one quarter of the entire U.S. population.
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