# Raise the Age of Eligibility for Medicare to 67



## Edna1717 (Jun 28, 2021)

*Raise the Age of Eligibility for Medicare to 67*

I chose Health Option 9 from the Option for Reducing the Deficit. The option is Raise the age of eligibility for Medicare to 67. This option would raise the eligibility for Medicare by two months each year, starting in 2020 until it reaches 67 for people born in 1966. This would be in the year 2033. It would remain at 67 thereafter. I believe this option would do more harm than good. There would be hospital visit for seniors under 67 years old that would not get paid. Many healthcare facilities will have to write off patient bills. Many seniors will go with medical treatment and live saving medication. Definitely a option that would not be beneficial to seniors.

This option would affect people in skilled nursing homes and long-term care facility. These to facilities houses people that depend on having Medicare for their healthcare treatments. If a person were in the need for this type of facilities and they were 65 then they would be out-of-pocket. Many people could not afford the cost for care. Unfortunately, the older we get the more need for these types of places. According to the National Committee to Preserve Social Security & Medicare website, “65- and 66-year-olds who would lose Medicare coverage and would, on average, face higher out-of-pocket health care costs. Two-thirds of this group – 3.3 million people – would face an average of $2,200 more each year in premiums and cost-sharing charges” (2021). Seniors waiting to be eligibility for Medicare may have to be on their spouses health insurance. They will be paying high premiums which will make a huge impact in their retirement money or savings. Many seniors may have to file bankruptcy. Families of seniors may not be able to pay the cost for skilled nursing homes and long-term care facility.

This option will impact so millions of people’s lives. As people get older, their insurance options get more expensive. People retire around 62-65 years old and their income decreases. Many senior citizens are relying on their Medicare benefits. Healthcare for a younger family can have them scrambling to make ends meet. Seniors having to wait for the age of 67 to receive their Medicare benefits can result in devastating hardship. According to Consumer Affairs website, “Poverty rates for adults over the age of 65 were the most unchanged across age demographics. This is likely due to the number of people in this demographic who rely on retirement income and Social Security instead of wages” (Parkman, 2021). If a senior needs a skilled nursing homes and long-term care facility, they just would not be able to this kind of medical attention. This would affect their quality of life. There are too many seniors living on the streets because their healthcare needs depleted their funds. There is truly something wrong with this country for this to happen.

If any changes should be put in place it must benefit seniors. They must have some form of support if the need to be place in a skilled nursing homes and long-term care facility. Seniors do not have the same earning abilities they once exhibit before retirement. If the government makes seniors wait two additional years before they can receive their Medicare benefits. The benefits they have contributed since their very first job. Medicaid must be able to pay for skilled nursing homes and long-term care facility.

There are many strategies put in to make this option effective. The main strategy is to lower the national deficit. According to the Faith & Freedom website, “Today the federal deficit is more than $21 trillion. By 2023, the Congressional Budget Office projects it to grow to over $27 trillion. Those projections, as significant as they are, do not account for the impact of Medicare for All” (Kocur, 2018). It is true that the national deficit is very high and Medicare is a big part of that. I am not an economist or statistician and have no idea what the solution is. I just see the human side of this equation. I see people that worked their whole lives and the government trying to make it hard for them. There has to be a way this option protects seniors from no being able to afford healthcare. To be able to receive the services from skilled nursing homes and long-term care facility. Seniors should not have to wait an additional two years to receive their benefits; because I know I do not.



Reference

National Committee to Preserve Social Security & Medicare (2021). https://www.ncpssm.org/documents/me...ibility-age-a-costly-benefit-cut-for-seniors/

Parkman, K. (2021). _Consumer Affair_. https://www.consumeraffairs.com/finance/elderly-poverty-statistics.html

Kocur, R. (2018). _Faith & Freedom_. National Osteoporosis Foundation. https://www.faithandfreedom.com/healthcare-spending-and-the-national-debt/


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