Group floats 'Medicare by Choice' as a Democratic health care alternative

[RandySF]

A coalition of former congressional staffers and federal health leaders is putting forward a health care policy proposal around which it hopes Democrats will coalesce ahead of the 2028 campaign, a position it is calling “Medicare by Choice.”

“Medicare for All,” the proposed single-payer national health care system that would replace private health insurance, proved to be a politically testy item during the 2024 election. Former Vice President Kamala Harris left it off her agenda when she became the Democratic nominee for president, despite having previously pushed for such a system.

So a group of policy experts encompassing the Center for Health and Democracy (CHD), American Economic Liberties Project and a former head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is putting forth its policy proposal for Democrats, Medicare by Choice.

This proposal allows everyone the option of enrolling in traditional Medicare regardless of age, even allowing employers to select Medicare by Choice as their employees’ workplace benefit.



https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/5800964-medicare-by-choice-health-care-policy-democrats/

[Walleye]

1. Sounds like a good idea to me. Have to see the details.

[bamagal62]

2. I think it's a great idea!

Republicans will find a way to spin it.

[NameAlreadyTaken]

3. Isn't that the "public option"

which was once on the table? And if I recall correctly, Joe Lieberman killed?

[lostnfound]

13. Sounds like it to me. Nt

[Wonder Why]

4. Many year ago, I thought that, for those poor with no health insurance and who couldn't qualify for

Medicaid, should be able to get a special Medicare card that allowed them to pay Medicare prices for health care. They would have to pay the bill but instead of the $10K overpriced hospital bill they couldn't pay, they would be billed the $900 that Medicare would have. Not a final solution, but it would avoid a lot of bankruptcies, allowed hospitals to get something more than lemon from a stone, and keep a lot of people from being in debt forever.

I recently, as a bicyclist, was hit by an SUV. The initial hospital bill for 3 hours in the ER was $17K. Had I no Medicare and little money, even if I were to eventually recover that from the other guy, I would be dunned for months or longer until the other Insurance paid off and would have lost any credit rating, have the additional burden of being a debtor, possibly losing my home, and worse. With Medicare, it pays a reduced price and has first dibs on the settlement to be reimbursed. It was bad enough to be victimized by an idiot driver. It would be worse to be victimized by everyone afterwards to add insult to (painful) injury.

[Jacson6]

6. If you get injured in a auto accident here in CA you get ripped off.

California attorneys demand a 45% commission, plus legal costs such as paralegals and court filing fees. Then you have to pay for experts at ~$50k per review. People have won their case then been left a debt to the law firm and then still owe the hospital bill.

[Jacson6]

5. It should be called the "Medicare Voluntary Option".

That way right wingers won't scream socialism. I'm curious as to how it would be paid for.

[Ms. Toad]

7. State laws would need to be changed

To permit those under 65 to choose to enroll in a Medigap plan. Currently many states prohibit it - forcing younger Medicare recipients onto Medicare Advantage plans.

[MichMan]

22. People younger than 65 can only enroll in a MA plan if they are on SSDI or have one of a couple of specific diseases

ALS or ESRD

https://www.medicareadvantage.com/enrollment/medicare-at-age-62

[area51]

8. Interesting,

but we need enhanced Medicare, which would cover drugs, teeth, eyes, & hearing, for starters. Also, it would need to be at $0 cost, paid for out of general taxation.

[MichMan]

12. Regular Medicare without all those add ins is currently $200 per month for retirees

[area51]

21. I know, as I'm on it.

It's why I said we'll have to change the current Medicare structure.

[gulliver]

9. As long as they leave Medicare for retirees untouched

I'm for a public option, but I don't like parts of the article where they talk about "simplifying" existing Medicare A, B, and D and driving retirees away from advantage plans. I'm not sure why introducing a public option needs to do anything at all to existing coverage.

At this point, I'm very wary in this world of people offering "improvements" to things. They never seem to improve. They just change for the worse.

[Skittles]

17. Medicare "Advantage" is change for the worse

huge scam on taxpayers

[gulliver]

18. The people rushing to save us from scams...

...are usually scammers themselves or nicey-nice incompetents (who end up handing whatever they come up with to scammers). Big Medicine is much worse than a scam. We wish it was only a scam.

[leftstreet]

10. Sounds like Third Way think tank is against it

“While Medicare by Choice is better than Medicare for All because it doesn’t force everyone in the nation into a new health plan, it’s still not an ideal solution,” Lily Cohen, press adviser for the centrist policy Third Way, told The Hill in a statement.

“Medicare by Choice doesn’t provide direct relief for the millions of Americans who like their coverage but hate the high costs. Bringing down costs for everyone with private coverage should be the top priority.”

For what it's worth

[Nanjeanne]

11. Then even more reason to think it's a good option. I prefer Med4All but this is better than

subsidizing private insurers simply to make health insurance premiums somewhat affordable.

[RandySF]

15. So it's all or nothing.

Flipping the switch to MFA will just panic everyone who already has coverage and we wind up with nothing. An option could cover millions of additional people.

[aocommunalpunch]

19. Quelle surprise

Clowns want to believe private insurance is the path forward. Fuck these ghouls. They know they cause pain and they revel in it.

[fujiyamasan]

23. A lot of them are bought and paid for by the health insurance lobby

Representing those like United healthcare.

[tinrobot]

14. The word "choice" is politically charged

Being "pro-choice" is a positive for most here, but it's highly negative for others.

Perhaps instead of "Medicare by choice" pick something else such as the "Medicare option"

[Deminpenn]

16. No, choice is the perfect branding here

Americans have a libertarian streak to one degree or another. Choice, in this contexr, speaks to that trait. In this case, people will like that they can choose off a known menu for health insurance. I'd guess that the majority of Americans have had a run-in with the current health insurance system whether for themselves or in a care related capacity. It's costly, convoluted and different for everyone depending on one's insurance plan or lack of one. My own experience and talking to others tells me few, if any, people think much of the US health care system.

But choice isn't always the right messanger word. For example, choice in the context of energy supplier hasn't been effective. Why? Because it's too complicated and people just don't want the hassle of figuring it out. Here in PA, there aren't even ads about energy choice anymore and choice providers no longer even canvass door-to-door or send out mailers trying to persuade consumers to switch. The energy choice program has pretty much flopped.

In the context of abortion rights, the word choice is a stand-in for abortion that is anathema in some religions. Don't know what a better branding might be or have been, but probably some version of MYOB.

[karynnj]

20. In 2009, one thing proposed was to allow people over 55

to buy into Medicare as part of ACA. ACA subsidies would be available if warranted. It was not included because there were Democrats who would vote against ACA if it were included. Adding a group of people healthier on average than people on Medicare would help Medicare as well.

Not to mention, it would have been a likely way to design a public option that anyone could choose. The public option would have worked to keep ACA premiums more competitive. This also failed to get all Senate Democrats. Even an Olympia Snowe plan to put in a trigger to allow a public option if premiums did not stay below a specified level failed.

[fujiyamasan]

24. It basically got torpedoed by Lieberman and Baucus

Both of whom received a lot of money from both pharmaceutical and health insurance lobbyists.

[karynnj]

25. It was also Ben Nelson and Blanche Lincoln

Baucus chaired the Finance committee which in addition to the HELP committee was writing the actual bill. I don't think he was against those things, but knew he couldn't get the needed 60 votes.

[FascismIsDeath]

26. So, the "public option" that Lieberman and a few others screwed us out of when the ACA first passed.

I've no problem with trying to rebrand it but honestly its been a popular concept for at least the past 16-17 years, without all that.

[niyad]

27. Universal health care is so complicated that only 32 of 33 advanced nations

have it.