Hillary Clinton’s plan to expand Medicare would extend coverage to nearly 13 million more Americans, a new analysis found.
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The analysis from healthcare research firm Avalere delved into Clinton’s recent remarks that some older people who aren’t eligible for Medicare should be able to buy into the program.
Clinton’s campaign hasn’t released specifics, but she has said that people as young as either 50 or 55 would be eligible for the federal program for seniors. The current eligibility age for Medicare is 65, but some people under that age can get it if they get disability benefits.
Avalere estimated that 63 million Americans would be eligible under Clinton’s proposal. However, about 61 percent of them get insurance through their employers, so wouldn’t need to buy into Medicare.
However, 11 percent of those age 50 and over, or 7 million, remain uninsured, and another 9 percent, or 5.9 million, are insured in the individual market, used by people who don’t get insurance through their job.
These nearly 13 million people would be most likely to sign up under Clinton’s proposal.
“While individuals are likely to stick with employer coverage if they currently have it, this proposal may give consumers another option to become insured,” said Elizabeth Carpenter, senior vice president at Avalere.
However, it isn’t clear if Medicare would be a better option for them.
“When compared to products sold through insurance exchanges, the analysts note that traditional, fee-for-service Medicare tends to offer a broader network of providers and lower deductibles relative to unsubsidized exchange products,” Avalere said.
Avalere said, though, that Medicare can sometimes lead to higher costs than more traditional insurance plans.
Avalere noted that if the individuals who would be newly covered under Clinton’s plan could enroll in Medicare Advantage, a program that allows seniors to buy private insurance, the costs could vary.
“Consumers would need to weigh the relative benefits of exchange products compared to Medicare based on their particular situation,” Pearson said.
