Democratic Sens. Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, and Sherrod Brown of Ohio have one thing in common—they're running for re-election in 2018 in states won by Donald Trump in 2016. That's not making them particularly cautious, though, when it comes to championing a health care system reform that that's directly in reach: lowering the eligibility age and expanding Medicare to people at age 55. They introduced legislation to do that just before recess.
The bill, which would allow Americans aged 55 to 64 to purchase Medicare coverage, reflects the growing influence of progressive activists who are pushing for a single-payer health care system they dub “Medicare for all.”
Although the bill stops short of making Medicare universal, its embrace of expanded public health insurance, rather than the private model at the heart of the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, marks a distinct leftward shift for the party.
“People between the ages of 55 and 64 often have more health problems and face higher health care costs but aren’t yet eligible for Medicare,” Stabenow said in a statement. “If you live in Michigan, are 58 years old, and are having a hard time finding coverage that works for you, this bill will let you buy into Medicare before you turn 65.”
“Our legislation is one way we can work together on a bipartisan basis to lower health care and prescription drug costs,” she added.
Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, Jeff Merkley of Oregon, Patrick Leahy of Vermont, Jack Reed of Rhode Island, and Al Franken of Minnesota have also signed on. This simple reform would substantially help the Obamacare markets by moving the expensive patients out into Medicare. It would help Medicare because these people would be paying in there. And it would help the nation's near-retirees save a ton of money on premiums.
Is it likely to go anywhere in this Congress? No. But is it a smart piece of healthcare reform to run on in 2018, knowing that the Republicans are going to hold the White House until 2020? Yes. It's also an indication of just how far we've come in pushing the Democratic Party to understanding the reality of daily life for the middle class. It wasn't all that long ago—2012—that Democrats were talking about actually raising the Medicare eligibility age in a "grand bargain" with Republicans. We're that much closer to a Democratic Party ready for something like Medicare for All.