Expansion of Medicare a Great Idea

Before the November 2006 Congressional elections, Nancy Pelosi spoke to a group of senior citizens in Florida, and she brought up the idea of expanding Medicare to cover uninsured citizens between the ages of 55 and 64. She claimed that the expansion would be revenue-neutral, and would serve to cover many of American citizens now uninsured.

I can think of a couple of reasons that this is a great idea. For one thing, providing people with access to quality medical care at this important juncture in their lives can help the insured deal with disease processes that begin in middle age—lifestyle-related diseases like type-2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and even colon cancer—at a time when these conditions can often be reversed. Spending money on the 55- to 64-year-old set can short-circuit debilitating disease processes early and possibly save millions if not billions of dollars at later stages in people’s lives.

The second reason expanding Medicare is a great idea is that it may well serve to substantially lessen the occurrence of age discrimination in the workplace. The way private insurance companies operate these days, hiring middle-aged or elderly employees costs an employer a whole lot more money for health insurance. If these prospective employees had the option of being covered by Medicare instead of the employer’s health plan, aging workers might find it a lot easier to get a job, and employers would benefit from hiring workers with a lot of expertise, experience, and savvy, and with a great work ethic.