The effects of Medicare buy-in policies for older adults on health insurance coverage and health care spending
- Collection:
- Health Policy and Services Research
- Series Title(s):
- Urban Institute research report
- Author(s):
- Garrett, Bowen, author Banthin, Jessica, author Gangopadhyaya, Anuj, author Buettgens, Matthew, author Shartzer, Adele, author Holahan, John, author Arnos, Diane, author
- Contributor(s):
- Urban Institute, issuing body.
- Publication:
- Washington, DC : Urban Institute, February 2021
- Language(s):
- English
- Format:
- Text
- Subject(s):
- Medicare Middle Aged Models, Theoretical United States
- Genre(s):
- Technical Report
- Abstract:
- A Medicare buy-in program would allow qualifying individuals currently ineligible for Medicare to purchase a Medicare-like health insurance plan. Two recent legislative proposals that would offer a Medicare buy-in option for adults not yet eligible for Medicare are S. 470, or the Medicare at 50 Act, sponsored by Senator Deborah Stabenow, and H.R. 1346, the Medicare Buy-in and Health Care Stabilization Act of 2019, sponsored by Representative Brian Higgins. Both bills would offer adults ages 50 to 64 a new option to buy into Medicare, meaning they can purchase traditional Medicare benefits (Parts A, B, and D) or a Medicare Advantage plan. President-elect Joe Biden, in contrast, has proposed both lowering the age of Medicare eligibility to 60 and creating a new Medicare-like health plan that could be purchased without age restrictions. In this report, using the Urban Institute's Health Insurance Policy Simulation Model, we estimate the coverage and health care spending implications of a Medicare buy-in policy similar to legislation proposed by Stabenow and Higgins that targets adults ages 50 to 64. We also examine seven policy variations: restricting eligibility to those ages 55 to 64; setting a national average buy-in premium; coordinating the calculation of premium tax credits so families with mixed coverage pay up to a maximum percentage of income for all coverage; allowing people with an offer of affordable employer sponsored insurance to buy in; offering more extensive modernized Medicare benefits, including an out-of-pocket maximum and coverage for dental, vision, and hearing services; setting the full buy-in premium to a lower level than that for Medicare Parts A (typically no premium), B, and D; and providing enhanced premium subsidies in both the Marketplace and the buy-in plan.
- Copyright:
- Reproduced with permission of the copyright holder. Further use of the material is subject to CC BY-NC-DC license. (More information)
- Extent:
- 1 online resource (1 PDF file (xi, 43 pages))
- Illustrations:
- Illustrations
- NLM Unique ID:
- 9918266200706676 (See catalog record)
- Permanent Link:
- http://resource.nlm.nih.gov/9918266200706676