Allow people to buy in to Medicare at 55, and create a public option in all 50 states

[ehrnst]

Thank you Hillary, for being ahead of the game when you came up with the Public Option in 2008,

and the lower age for Medicare in 2016.

https://www.hillaryclinton.com/issues/health-care/

It's good to see that she moved other progressives towards a solid, incremental, approach to universal health care.

[NightWatcher]

1. Why not 45,35,or 25? I won't make it to 55. I could use it today (41)

I'm not being critical of Hillary, I'm on her side but just bummed out because I'm no longer in remission and have just been diagnosed with another illness on top of my others that I already cannot afford.

[NCTraveler]

2. And you aren't getting it today.

Clearly it would be a move in the right direction. I also don't see where an age was placed on the idea of a public option.

[ehrnst]

4. The age drop was for Medicare. (nt)

[NCTraveler]

5. That is my understanding as well.

I don't see how someone could be against this.

[ehrnst]

3. I hear you.

I think that letting people 50 and up buy into Medicare promotes far less backlash than "Medicare for all right now!" And single payer will take decades to implement as universal health coverage.

Even those progressives politicians who recently said that anything less than "Medicare for All" was being a corporatist, have seen the problems inherent in making "perfect" the enemy of "more people being covered sooner."

Hillary understood this.

[Hieronymus]

6. It should be cradle to grave .. it works.

[ehrnst]

7. Ideally. Universal health coverage can take many forms.

Insisting that only one works, and it must be done RIGHT NOW, can backfire.

If there was anything that Hillary knew inside and out - it was healthcare reform.

[exboyfil]

8. So would the 55-64

be set in a separate risk pool that would need to cover the cost through their premiums? This could be a higher risk pool than the 65+ because of self selection.

I would love to have a secure alternative at 54 with a 50 year old wife. I am looking at working until I am 68 to ensure I stay on my company's health plan (assuming they let me stay that long).

My company about 20 years ago (before I joined) got out of funding bridge insurance to Medicaid. They still get those folks retiring in their upper 50s and early 60s with that Bridge insurance (many coming back to work as consultants). At some point that pool will dry up.

[ehrnst]

10. It will cost more than it will save at the outset. Which is to be expected.

I know that she did intend for them to pay more in premiums than they would at age 65.

[Amishman]

9. But how to pay for it?

I like the idea of a tax on stock and bond sales/trades

2016 the total value of all stock transactions in the US was $40 trillion. A 0.025% tax would bring in 100 billion a year. (I'm assuming bond tax revenues would offset the transaction decline this tax would cause in high frequency trading).

It would take more than this, but would be a great start

[ehrnst]

11. I don't think that will be possible before 2018. (nt)

[Amishman]

12. I doubt it will be possible even then, this whole subject isn't feasible for several cycles at least

Either need a sea change in the Pubs or several rounds of favorable Senate election cycles, not to mention the house and white house.

It's still a good thought exercise though

[sharedvalues]

15. Only will be feasible if we defeat Fox, rightwing propanganda

[mcar]

13. HRC had a great plan to improve the ACA

She was criticized for it by some on the "left," IIRC.

[pirateshipdude]

17. +1. Also the "free college" issue. That too was stolen once it was recognized the inherent

unfairness for lower income.

[Orsino]

14. This might be the best we can hope for in the near term.

We won't just discard the private medical insurance industry all at once, but I can see phasing in something better. I could go for this if it targets the neediest regardless of age.

[pirateshipdude]

16. True that. Eom