The lawmakers said that up to 25% of those ages 60 to 64 go without health insurance before turning 65. (Photo: Fotolia)
More than 125 House lawmakers introduced legislation Friday that lowers the Medicare eligibility age to 60 from 65.
The Improving Medicare Coverage Act — led by Reps. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash.; Conor Lamb, D-Pa.; Joe Neguse, D-Colo.; and Susan Wild, D-Pa.; Haley Stevens, D-Mich.; and Debbie Dingell, D-Mich. — would expand Medicare to at least 23 million people, the lawmakers said in a statement.
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Such a move is supported by President Joe Biden's American Families Plan in addition to more than 70% of the House Democratic Caucus, the lawmakers said.
"Lowering the Medicare eligibility age will not only be life-changing for at least 23 million people, it will also be life-saving for so many across America who will finally be able to get the care they need and deserve," Jayapal said.
"Expanding and improving this wildly popular program is not only the right thing to do from a policy perspective, it is also what the majority of Americans across party lines support," Jayapal continued. "Congress and President Biden should immediately deliver for the people by prioritizing the expansion and improvement of Medicare in the upcoming Build Back Better package."
The lawmakers said that up to 25% of those ages 60 to 64 go without health insurance before turning 65.
"According to a new study led by Dr. Joseph Shrager of Stanford University, 65- to 69-year-olds in the U.S. have a statistically better chance of being diagnosed and surviving our most common cancers than in the five years prior," the lawmakers said.
"Overall mortality rates also significantly improve at age 65. Americans aged 60-64 have the highest mortality rates compared to those in the same age range in peer countries — but once they reach 65, mortality rates drastically reduce thanks to Medicare," the lawmakers said.
COVID-19 only exacerbated the crisis, the lawmakers argued.
"Many older Americans lost their jobs and their health insurance as the uninsured rate skyrocketed," they said. "While the economic recovery has begun for some, older workers are currently being hired at a lower rate than those in younger age groups."
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Melanie Waddell
Melanie is senior editor and Washington bureau chief of ThinkAdvisor. Her ThinkAdvisor coverage zeros in on how politics, policy, legislation and regulations affect the investment advisory space. Melanie’s coverage has been cited in various lawmakers’ reports, letters and bills, and in the Labor Department’s fiduciary rule in 2024. In 2019, Melanie received an Honorable Mention, Range of Work by a Single Author award from @Folio. Melanie joined Investment Advisor magazine as New York bureau chief in 2000. She has been a columnist since 2002. She started her career in Washington in 1994, covering financial issues at American Banker. Since 1997, Melanie has been covering investment-related issues, holding senior editorial positions at American Banker publications in both Washington and New York. Briefly, she was content chief for Internet Capital Group’s EFinancialWorld in New York and wrote freelance articles for Institutional Investor. Melanie holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Towson University. She interned at The Baltimore Sun and its suburban edition.
