I'm confused about Medicare buy in?

[hollowdweller]

OK so is this really a good thing?

I'm not an expert on the health care issue but during the discussion/debate I have heard them say that health costs are high because many youger folks don't buy insurance so there are not that many healthy people paying in.

So then I hear they want to open medicare up to 55?? To me this is just adding another group that is near as unhealthy as the older group already getting it.

To me it would seem you'd either want to allow younger folks who have lower costs to buy in at a lower rate to get some costs down or allow both them and the 55 and older to balance it out??

What am I missing? I understand the "foot in the door" potential but adding a group that will bring costs up and put the program more under water would seem to me to be a good way to give the opposition more ammo when trying to kick the door open further at some future date..

[Cassandra]

1. 55 ain't that old or that unhealthy.

I'm 55 and in good health (and being strangled by BCBS to the tune of $1000 a month).

[emulatorloo]

2. The 55 people have a very hard time finding insurance if they dont get it from employer

If they can their premiums are usually very high. So they make up a huge portion of the uninsured.

Dean has a diary on it at kos that explains a little more detail on the two parts of the plan:

--expanding medicare
-- expanding the Federal Employee Healthcare system

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/12/9/812526/-We-Can-Do-Both

He says both big steps in the right direction. But need to keep pushing in the future to expand them/

[femmocrat]

3. I think one of the reasons is that 55-yr olds are losing their jobs and cannot afford private plans

due to pre-existing conditions, in many cases.

I don't think it's going to be the same level of coverage that 65-yr. olds get though. JMO

[timeforpeace]

4. The young still won't buy in. They don't buy insurance now cuz they don't think they need it.

Did you when you were 24 and single?

[rurallib]

5. I strongly recommend waiting until we hear the bill

Leaks have proven to be inaccurate.

[Mojambo]

6. They want to force the young, healthy people to buy from the private ins crooks

And foist the more costly older people into the public program.

It's a win/win for health insurance companies.

I can't imagine going into this that they thought they'd get something so sweet.