Medicare coverage age under Biden

[hamsterjill]

Does anyone know Joe Biden’s plan for making Medicare available at a younger age?

I’m about to turn 62, unemployed, and this would be a great benefit to me. But I haven’t been able to find any specifics of how it might work.

[Wounded Bear]

1. I believe he wants to lower it to at least 60...

lowering it to at least the minimum age for SS, 62, would make sense. Lowering it to 50 would make even more sense, since a lot of the uninsured people are those in the 50-60 age group who find themselves out of work. I went through that.

[hamsterjill]

2. Yes, I know that. But how?

Does it take Congressional approval? Because I can’t see McConnell going for it.

[Wounded Bear]

3. Ahh, there's the rub...kind of depends on GA now...

though I'm sure it's something Repubs would probably fillibuster.

[Jlz]

6. The Filibuster Needs to GO!

The filibuster is a Senate Rule. It is not in the Constitution or Legislation. It was put in place in the early years of the Republic at the behest of the slavocracy to safeguard slavery. If the Democrats manage to gain a Senate majority, what would prevent them from doing away with the thing? Harry Reid, when Senate Majority Leader could have done it but waffled. It is profoundly anti-majoritarian, and was frequently used during the Civil Rights era and the Obama Administration to block civil rights and later Obama's agenda. Because of Republican abuse, what was once rarely used is now commonplace, and it requires a 60 vote supermajority majority to pass legislation that liberals or even moderate Democrats favor. All depends on Georgia, of course, but I believe Schumer has the stones to do this.

[Wounded Bear]

8. I agree, but Manchin has alread said he would not support eliminating it...

Senators love the power that it brings.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

5. Yes, because all spending has to come from Congress.

Spending bills originate in the House but they have to make it through the Senate.

[jimfields33]

10. I still think it would cost 144 dollars a month and then goodness knows how

much the supplemental would be. Medicare only pays 80 percent. I know people on Medicare that pay 400 dollars a month for both policies.

[Wounded Bear]

11. It's still better than COBRA...

[jimfields33]

14. I understand cobra can be a rip off.

Not sure much about it except I haven’t heard much good from it.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

4. It would be up to Congress, regardless of what Biden wants to do,

so we have to hope the Dems win in GA.

[hamsterjill]

12. Executive action during the time of a pandemic isn't possible?

Serious question. Trump got everything he wanted by using EA. I’m not knowledgeable as to limitations on EA, but Biden needs to use it where he can.

[Wounded Bear]

15. There are limits to what can be done by EO...

You can't do anything illegal with it. Well, a Democrat can't.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

7. Eventually something like that will happen.

Probably not right away, possibly not until you yourself have already turned 65.

Biden is going to be completely occupied during his first couple of years with attempting to undo so much of the damage Trump has done. Unfortunately, other things like lowering the age for Medicare will by pretty far down on the list of things to be done. But it will happen somewhere down the road, just not very soon.

[hamsterjill]

9. I'm sure.

I won’t survive until that time unfortunately. But I do understand priorities.

[jimfields33]

13. I see it raised to 67 to coincide with the new social security age.

I know most think it will go lower, but when have we gotten a positive outcome?

[hamsterjill]

16. I could see Mitch doing that.

Absolutely.

[trof]

17. Unless we take the senate I wouldn't count on it.