Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton's plan to allow younger beneficiaries to "buy in" to Medicare — dubbed "Medicare for More" — could extend healthcare coverage to 13 million Americans, according to a new analysis from Avelere.
According to the report from healthcare analytics firm Avelere, extending eligibility for Medicare to Americans above 50 would provide millions of older adults who are either uninsured or on individual market health plans a government-sponsored alternative, according to Fortune.
The majority (61 percent) of the 63 million Americans who could be effected by the expansion have employer-sponsored coverage and would likely not switch, according to Avalere. But 7 million people age 50 and older are uninsured, while 5.9 million purchased coverage on individual market health plans, for a total of 12.9 million who could be eligible for Medicare under Ms. Clinton's proposal.
The report also points out that a significant share (47 percent) of Affordable Care Act beneficiaries are 45 and older, while 26 percent are 55 or older. As a result of these demographics, Ms. Clinton's plan could potentially create more sustainable risk pools in both Medicare and the ACA exchanges, meaning the overall risk pools for both Medicare and ACA plans could become younger and less expensive to cover.