Let’s have real health-care reform, and let’s use a popular, efficient, and successful program that has a track record: Medicare. Medicare is not padded, like private insurers, with profit, exorbitant executive salaries and perks, cost of advertising, and the payroll of staffs of actuaries, agents, salespeople, and lobbyists.
Here’s the proposal: Expand Medicare in incremental phases.
This is one way it could work: In Phase I, expand Medicare coverage to those 55 and older; in Phase II, expand coverage to those 35 and older; and in Phase III, expand Medicare to cover everybody.
If people want more than the basic Medicare coverage, it could be increased by buying supplemental programs as seniors are able to do right now.
As we get older, our health-care needs increase. At present, Medicare is providing solely for the costliest segment of our population. An expanded Medicare would be more efficient and less expensive by adding a greater, younger, and healthier risk pool to the program.
This article appears in Aug 27 – Sep 3, 2009.
