• About
  • Advertise
  • Careers
  • Write for us
  • Contact
  • Terms of service
Saturday, June 25, 2022
The Millennial Source
TMS
Home WORLD

Bernie Sanders wants to lower the Medicare age limit from 65 to 55. Can he do it?

byJoseph Lyttleton
May 16, 2021
in WORLD
Bernie Sanders wants to lower the Medicare age limit from 65 to 55. Can he do it?

Source: Reuters

Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Linkedin
Still, if Sanders can’t get Medicare for All passed through Congress, he might be able to expand who is eligible for Medicare.

  • If there’s one thing Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders is best known for, it’s his advocacy for the universal health care policy known as Medicare for All.
  • This policy was a centerpiece of both Sanders’ 2016 and 2020 presidential runs and it remains a top priority for him and other progressive members of Congress.
  • But President Joe Biden has long opposed Medicare for All and instead supports expanding the Affordable Care Act (better known as Obamacare).
  • Still, if Sanders can’t get Medicare for All passed through Congress, he might be able to expand who is eligible for Medicare.

Lowering the age of Medicare

  • Despite the general popularity of Medicare for All in polling, it’s unlikely the United States will see the policy passed since it would require a massive overhaul of both the government and health care.
  • Sanders appears to realize that, which is why he’s currently focused on lowering the age limit for Medicare from 65 to 60 or maybe even 55.
  • Along with lowering the age of Medicare, Sanders also wants the government to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies to bring down the price of prescription drugs.
  • Sanders’ goal is to include these changes in the giant infrastructure bill that is currently being debated in Congress.

Can Sanders really lower the age of Medicare?

  • There is a slim but very real possibility that he can.
  • It helps that Sanders is not alone in his mission.
  • Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has also voiced support for both lowering the age limit on Medicare for All and cutting drug prices.
  • Sanders, who is an Independent but votes (or “caucuses”) with the Democrats, was also joined by 17 other Democrats in Congress who urged Biden to support the changes.
  • As the chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, Sanders has the unique ability to push for his agenda.
  • Using what is known as the budget reconciliation process, which allows Democrats in the Senate to bypass a Republican filibuster, Sanders could pass the changes without a protracted fight.
  • But for this to happen, all 50 Democratic senators would have to vote together, which may not be so likely.

What is Medicare?

  • Created in 1965, Medicare is a health insurance program run by the government.
  • Medicare is mostly known as an insurance plan for older Americans. This is because most of those who are eligible for it are 65 and older.
  • But it’s also available to those under the age of 65 who have disabilities and those with End-Stage Renal Disease (i.e., kidney failure).

Medicare for All vs Medicare

  • Despite the name, Medicare for All and Medicare are actually fairly different ideas.
  • The Medicare program is insurance, which means it can still potentially cost money and won’t necessarily be accepted by all doctors.
  • But the vast majority of doctors do accept it and if you were (or still are) a working American who has paid Social Security taxes, you likely won’t have to pay for Medicare (or at least not much).
  • Medicare for All on the other hand is universal health care that is pretty similar to what nearly every other developed country has.
  • It would be available to all Americans and would allow them to go to any doctor without paying anything.
  • But the concern about Medicare for All, or any other universal health care plan, is how it would be paid for.
  • Critics have argued that a universal health care system would require raising taxes, meaning the plan wouldn’t really be “free” since payments would just be in the form of higher taxes.
  • But Sanders insists his plan wouldn’t require raising taxes because Medicare for All would save the government money in the long run.

Other supporters of Medicare for All, such as Senator Elizabeth Warren, have suggested that another way of paying for the program would be to raise taxes, but only on the wealthiest Americans.

Have a tip or story? Get in touch with our reporters at [email protected]

Like TMS? Subscribe to our free daily newsletter

Related

Tags: Longer readNorth AmericaPolitics
ShareTweetShare

Latest Posts

Juul banned

The US orders Juul vapes off the market. Here’s what you need to know

June 24, 2022
US gun legislation

US Senate agrees to fast-track new gun law

June 23, 2022
January 6 hearings

The fourth day of the January 6 hearings show Trump’s pressure campaign on election officials

June 22, 2022

Senator Ron Wyden proposes a tax increase on price-gouging oil companies

June 15, 2022

US House of Representatives holds primetime TV hearings on the January 6 attack on the Capitol. Here’s what you need to know

June 13, 2022

Australia says a Chinese military jet created a “dangerous maneuver” at the South China Sea

June 7, 2022

UK’s Boris Johnson survives a vote of no confidence

June 7, 2022

France’s Macron says it’s important to avoid humiliating Putin

June 6, 2022

Biden to travel to Saudi Arabia this month to alleviate oil prices as OPEC+ increases production

June 3, 2022

SUBSCRIBE TO THE TMS NEWSLETTER

By providing your email, you agree to our Privacy Policy

The Millennial Source Ltd. 2021

No Result
View All Result
  • Your daily briefing
  • About us
  • Explore
    • Startups
    • Climate change
    • Tech giants
    • Crypto
    • The future of work
    • Banking giants
    • Economy
  • Lifestyle
  • Human stories
  • TMS archives
  • Write for us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy & Terms

2022 The Millennial Source Ltd.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings.

string(24) "jsonld single post debug"
The Millennial Source
Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.