Key Senators Confirm Medicare Buy-In As Part Of A Public Option Compromise

[ProSense]

Key Senators Confirm Medicare Buy-In As Part Of A Public Option Compromise

Brian Beutler

A number of key Senators--including Chuck Schumer (D-NY), John Kerry (D-MA), and Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) confirmed today that a Medicare buy-in is being discussed as an option as part of a grand compromise on a public option.

"It's an option, it's being discussed, it does have some issues that are being raised, but it remains--it's on the table," Kerry told reporters.

The idea was introduced to the discussion by Rockefeller, who told reporters that it's still unclear whether it would ultimately be a replacement for the public option.

"I think that's one of the reasons it was brought up, but you don't do everything in juxtaposition with something else always."

[firedupdem]

1. Rec'd n/t

[emulatorloo]

2. Very very interesting. I would love to hear more about this strategy.

Thanks for posting.

[Armstead]

3. It makes too much sense -- The Turncoats won;t let it happen

[Froward69]

4. ??? replacement???

wait a minute. wouldn't the whole thing be made easier if medicare for all were the rule?

seems this bait and switch is gonna make it all real!

[karynnj]

5. If they can get this passed, it also helps with the point Dean raised

There will be people immediately helped. If the proposal is to define a lower age where people can opt to buy in rather than buy a nongovernmental plan, it also helps one group that Kerry was very concerned about in the Finance hearings - people in their late 50s and early 60s, who if they lose their jobs have great difficulty finding one - much less one with medical benefits. When they were debating, these people could be charged up to 4 times the youngest people - now it is 3.

If so, one question I would have is if there would be any way to have family insurance under medicare. Especially as they are covering kids until 26, you could have many 55 - 60 year olds with kids under 26.

[Vincardog]

6. Most important it would help ME. And do it without enriching the parasitic corporations, I am behind

that

[Clio the Leo]

22. Immediately?

Where are you seeing immediate?

I was just telling my mother about it and we laughed that by the time it went into effect, she'd be eligible for medicare anyway.

Is someone reporting that it would go into effect right away?

[karynnj]

26. Immediately is wrong - but I think Dean had made the point that it

would be doable before the 2010 election.

[Clio the Leo]

27. Good news! Thanks. NT

[ipaint]

7. There is no valid public option in any bill.

Nothing.

Allowing a subset of people to buy into medicare ins. puts it directly in the sites of the for profit parasites. Bad move.
Either everybody is in or out. This partial crap will eventually destroy medicare.

[DrToast]

8. I don't think this will work

Medicare only being available to 55+ will be extremely expensive.

[ProSense]

9. Not true.

All you have to do is look at the CBO score of a public option based on Medicare rates to see that it offers the most savings.

[DrToast]

10. That's completely different

You're describing the public option that would be available to all ages on the exchange.

Opening up Medicare only to the age groups that need the most medical care will result in extremely high premiums.

The only reason Medicare is affordable for seniors today is because it's highly subsidized.

[ProSense]

11. Still not true.

Medicare is cheaper than private insurance. In fact, it's the current flaws in the private system that are driving up Medicare costs, and it's still cheaper.

[DrToast]

12. Medicare administrative costs are cheaper

But not per patient costs, which makes sense considering who its paying for. If seniors had to pay the actual cost of Medicare, it would be around $11,000/year.

[ProSense]

14. Here

Facts:

Here’s the raw fact, from the National Health Expenditure data: since 1970 Medicare costs per beneficiary have risen at an annual rate of 8.8% — but insurance premiums have risen at an annual rate of 9.9%. The rise in Medicare costs is just part of the overall rise in health care spending. And in fact Medicare spending has lagged private spending: if insurance premiums had risen “only” as much as Medicare spending, they’d be 1/3 lower than they are.

[DrToast]

18. A growth rate is not a dollar amount.

Go to the last page of the .pdf file you linked to and read the Per Enrollee Expenditures for Medicare and for Private Insurance.

[ProSense]

19. You are looking at cost outlays. As you stated previously,

"If seniors had to pay the actual cost of Medicare, it would be around $11,000/year."

That's if. I don't think the idea of opening Medicare to all is to eliminate employer based coverage. As it currently stands, if medicare was available to all, why wouldn't individuals who choose that coverage by opting out of their employer's plan be eligible for the portion paid by employers?



edited for clarity

[DrToast]

20. Of course I'm looking at cost outlays. That's what we were talking about

I said "The only reason Medicare is affordable for seniors today is because it's highly subsidized" and you said that wasn't true. I said that per patient costs are more and you responded with something about growth in cost, which is something entirely different than what we were talking about.

[ProSense]

21. No, you can't compare

You would have to add the portion picked up by the employer to compare cost outlay. Medicare recipients aren't paying the full cost.

[DrToast]

23. Oh for the love of god...

If that's what we're talking about, then why did you link to the article about growth in costs? What does that have to do with anything.

I'm not going to waste my time arguing with you if you're just going to try and change the subject when you're wrong.

[doc03]

13. Why of course Medicare is cheaper, the system

it subsidised by the government and it is broke. Also the patient has to pay 20% of the bill or go out and buy a Medicare supplement out of pocket. Many Doctors won't even accept medicare patients because they set limits on fees.

[Perky]

15. If they are serious abouth this approach thenn Doctorrs will be accepting lower fees accross the boa

beacuse there will be too many in this pool to ignore. even the insurance providers would have to reduc their rates to increase.


If Docs say they are not getting enough..... They can joine larger practices to cut the incremental costs, But I also suspect that they will push again for Tort reform.

[ProSense]

16. You are talking about scenarios in the dysfunctional system today.

Reform will have an overall impact on all systems touched by its flaws.

[jeanpalmer]

28. Medicare rates and overall Medicare costs

are two different things. Medicare rates are low because the government negotiates low rates, but the per person cost of Medicare is very high because the elderly are high frequency users of health care and expensive procedures.

If the $11,000 per person cost of Medicare were converted into an insurance premium that an uninsured person could "buy into," well that would be exorbitant and no one would buy in. Even if all the non-elderly bought in, that wouldn't seem to lower the premium enough to make it worthwhile for them to buy in. The presence of the high cost elderly in the system makes the premiums too expensive.

So I don't know how they could persuade people to buy into a high cost system.

The public option was low cost because it paid Medicare rates but didn't include the high cost elderly. If a system includes the elderly, by definition its per person cost will be high; and if that cost is spread over younger participants, they will be paying very high premiums. Is this what they're referring to as a "buy into Medicare"?

[cap]

17. if we do Medicare buy in, can we at least table the whole abortion discussion?

just get that out of the way until we get health care for the rest of us.

[vaberella]

31. Well the Stupak ammendment is already being changed and/or removed.

So that's a non-issue now. This was done in Reid's suggestion.

[boppers]

32. Medicare doesn't cover abortion (with exceptions), so, I'm guessing "no"...

The people allied against Stupak want a public plan available that covers abortion.

[Oregone]

24. Who would of thunk itd take em the better part of a year to think up a magic compromise that didn't

completely suck?

[vaberella]

30. This idea is not new. It was talked about before dating several months.

Actually Weiner, Dean, I think Rockefellar, and Whitehous has talked about this option. I think however this is the first time it might be a realization if Snowe or whoever they can talk too...is into the idea.

[rockymountaindem]

25. I thought that was what we were going to push for during the campaign

Allowing people to buy into Medicare would give us a real public option and undercut those fools with their "SCARY GOVERNMENT TAKEOVER" flim-flam, since people know, understand, and appreciate Medicare. I don't know why this wasn't the tactic from the beginning.

[vaberella]

29. Wait?! I can buy into medicare?! Works for me. n/t