Increasing Medicare Eligibility

The Medicare program is being perceived that it will go bankrupt in about 10 years unless there is major reform. There are six recommendations that should be reformed for the protection of the program for future generations. The program must protect retirees from an economic healthcare disaster. The cost of the program must be shared and this will motivate benefactors to reduce cost by adding accountability to the program. Reducing Medicare expenditures will have a much larger impact than increasing taxes. Calculating the retirement age in correlation to life

Life expectancy has increased over the last century. With this greater survival rate, there needs to be an increase in the rate of spending for Medicare. Despite what one does to improve their health behavior, the need for medical care cultivates as one ages. This need will continue to increase significantly as medicine continues to modernize.

As this baby-boomer generation continues to age there will be profound effects on the way that money is spent on health care and insurance. With approximately 77 million people turning 65 over the next several years, the amount of government spending on Medicare will greatly increase (Gigante, 2012). Thus, the demand for medical care associated with the aging population will so

Suitable health care would not be possible for the elderly population in America without the assistance of Medicare Part A. Medicare did not come about easily. Currently Medicare spending is more than what is being collected, questioning future solvency. There are many challenges with sustaining Medicare into the future. Medicare’s past struggles, present outcomes, and future challenges confirm that a national health plan is ever evolving to meet the needs of the current population and spending inflation.

Since 1965, Medicare has been attempting to provide low cost, guaranteed access to much needed healthcare for senior citizens over the age of 65 and other age groups that suffer from disabilities and terminal diseases. These people represent some of the most vulnerable population groups in the United States. Most do not work, and rely on Medicare to provide them the access to healthcare they need. Unlike privatized health insurance companies, Medicare is a social insurance program that is paid for through federal mandates and tax payer funds. Billions of dollars are spent annually on over 50 million Americans in need (Alonso-Zaldivar 1). The care structure itself is broken into several main parts: Medicare Part A covers hospital costs, Part B cover most outpatient care costs, and Part C and D cover prescription drug costs through dealing with other private insurance. Yet, the upcoming election in November is threatening to change and alter the structure. Each candidate has his own plan to deal with Medicare; both are trying to reign in the costs of operating Medicare, but with some elements being obviously more beneficial for Medicare recipients than others.

Medicare, which was first enacted by Congress in 1965, is a popular, yet failing, program because of a rapidly increasing population of retirees and their increasing costs; despite program’s flaws, Medicare is difficult to change because of the political influence of the elderly, who approve of the benefits they receive from the program. Medicare provides health benefits to citizens who are eligible for social security benefits(Fiorina, Peterson, Johnson & Mayer 2009). The program is embraced by the public, but Medicare’s increasing cost makes it difficult to sustain. Due to its popularity, the program is also very difficult to change, but without limitations the program will continue to decline in the future.

Medicare is our country’s health insurance program for people age 65 or older. Certain people younger than age 65 can qualify for Medicare, too, including those with disabilities and those who have permanent kidney failure. There are several changes for Medicare enrollees in 2017. The average increase is more than $4/month, and average premiums will be about $109/month for about 70 percent of enrollees. But the exact amount they’ll pay will vary depending on the dollar amount of the cost of living adjustment on their Social Security checks.

The historical background of Medicare is explained by answering many different questions. One of the historical problems which led the creation of Medicare was that the health costs for the elderly increased dramatically, while a person’s income is also declining. Many of the elderly were unable to afford health insurance, which led to a large amount of people not being covered by any health insurance. There were also certain companies that decided to terminate health policies for those who were considered to be high risk. The problems historically were very important in the fact that insurance companies were charging the elderly too much, and it didn’t just affect those who were already financially unstable. This problem was handled previously by different Federal-State programs that were set in place for medical assistance, but they were not meeting the needs of the people. Often, people were turned away and many were not eligible for the programs.

The Social Security Act of 1935 was passed in order to provide for elderly citizens who could not provide for themselves. Through this system, working citizens would pay into the system to provide for citizens aged 65 and older, and then when they reached the age of 65 they would be cared for as well. This system continues today, but as the life expectancy of citizens increases, many wonder if the Social Security cut off age should be raised to 70. It should. The fact of the matter is that the average 65 year old does not need their social security check in the way they did in 1935, so the system shouldn’t be wasting its finite resources caring for them.

There is fear that America’s current social programs may not be able to support the previous generations’ elders. Because of the increase in aging population, there will be more elders claiming social security and requesting Medicare benefits. In the current economy, there will not be enough workers paying into social security to support the aging population. If there isn't enough money, the United States may have to seek alternate ways to keep social security working, which would ultimately impact the federal budget. This may cause the United States to shift its focus and funding from other important National Security programs. If the United States raised the age to claim social security to 70 years, it would offset the difference between

Due to the upcoming presidential election, the two major political parties, and their candidates, have been focusing on the primary problems that the nation will face. Chief among those problems is the future of Medicare, the national health-insurance plan. Medicare was enacted in 1965, under the administration of Lyndon B. Johnson, in order to provide health insurance for retired citizens and the disabled (Ryan). The Medicare program covers most people aged 65 or older, as well as handicapped people who enroll in the program, and consists of two health plans: a hospital insurance plan (part A) and a medical insurance plan (part B) (Marmor 22). Before Medicare, many Americans didn't have health

It truly depends on the circumstances of each individual case. The typical age is sixty five however, if married and your partner has accumulated forty tax points over a span of ten years or more you may be able to sign up at sixty two (Barry, 2016). Some people with terminal diseases like kidney failure are automatically eligible regardless of age (Barry, 2016). Keep in mind age is not the only determinate, the participants must have paid into social security from your check withholdings (Barry, 2016). Medicare can be a little confusing, because there are so many planes and different requirements that you have to meet to be eligible for each plan. I recommend people do their

Besides increasing the tax, the government could possibly raise the age that people are eligible to receive benefits. It is proposed to raise the retirement age to 70 by 2029 and the early retirement age to 65 by 2017. After that, they would increase the age of retirement to correspond with the rise in life expectancy. Raising the age

It is crucial for Americans to have a responsible discussion about the future of the SS/SSI programs. In the long term, spending per capita on health care will continue to surpass GDP growth per capita (Jacobs 2013). This is an unsustainable trend; therefore, one must consider the option of continuing to raise the full retirement age to 70

The growing concern regarding the financial security of Medicare is one of particular interest to the nearly 72 million baby boomers that become eligible for this government-assisted, and tax-payer bolstered, program over the next two decades. According to the U.S. Census Bureau (2010), there will be a rapid increase in baby-boomers between 2010 and 2030, as the entire baby boomer population move into the 65 years and over category (p.3). Political and financial revisions must be made to ensure the security of Medicare as the numbers of individuals paying into this program are soon to be surpassed by the number of individuals drawing-off this program (U.S. Census Bureau, 2010). The elderly are also at a disadvantage with transportation to health care visits, picking up prescriptions, and rehabilitation services. There needs to be an establishment of access not only to primary care providers, hospitals, and rehabilitation services, but access to other aspects of the health care system for the elderly population.