Biden Proposal to Lower Medicare Eligibility to 60 Could Benefit MA Insurers
Former Vice President Joe Biden, the de facto Democratic nominee for president, said on April 9 that he will work to lower the eligibility age for Medicare to 60 if elected. In a blog post laying out his plans to tackle COVID-19 and the resulting economic contraction, Biden positioned the Medicare proposal as part of his larger health care reform program, which would include a universal public insurance option.
The proposal was light on details, but it suggested a 60-year-old enrollee would enjoy identical benefits as existing Medicare beneficiaries. “Under this concept, Americans would have access, if they choose, to Medicare when they turn 60, instead of when they turn 65. Medicare benefits would be provided to them as they are to current Medicare recipients,” Biden wrote in the post, which appeared on the online publishing platform Medium.