Why Raising the Medicare Eligibility Age Is a Very Bad Idea – Leftward-Ho

Note: The following is the text of a message I have sent to President Obama. I urge you to do the same using the links at the end of this commentary. Please feel free to copy any section of the text into your message. I have also sent messages to my elected representatives in the U.S. Congress containing relevant sections of the text below.

Dear President Obama,

Please do not agree to raising the eligibility age for Medicare. Causing our brother and sister Americans to wait longer in order to receive adequate and affordable medical care would be a very bad thing to do.

Such a move would be a threat to the health of older people and cost employers and employees more.

Raising the eligibility age is going in the wrong direction. We should be trying to lower the eligibility age, not raise it. What we need is Medicare for everyone.

There are countless Americans who are holding off going to the doctor because they are waiting for Medicare to kick in. In the last few weeks, I have met several people who have some health problems they can not afford to have treated and are waiting for their 65th birthday to arrive so they can get Medicare coverage. The Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) contained some significant advances, however, there are still millions of people who either have no medical insurance or are under insured.

Increasing the eligibility age will cost employees and employers more because the moment this happens, the insurance companies will raise their rates for everyone and justify it because of the inclusion of the older demographic.

According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, raising the Medicare age from 65 to 67 would increase overall health spending and shift costs to seniors, states, and employers. It would save the federal government $5.7 billion but cost a total of $11.4 billion.

Think about it Mr. President. You don’t want your legacy to include such a blot on your healthcare record.

Respectfully yours,