Although lowering the Medicare eligibility age from 65 to 60 could provide an additional 24.5 million individuals with coverage, the expansion could make premiums less affordable for some, an Avalere study found.
Avalere used data from four major U.S. cities to compare estimated exchange premiums for 60-year-old non-smokers to Medicare premiums for 65-year-olds at three income levels, relying on the current exchange subsidy structure under the American Rescue Plan Act.
For low-income individuals in Miami and Chicago, silver exchange plans were more affordable than Medicare plans, while silver and gold plans were more affordable than Medicare plans among low-income residents of Houston and Los Angeles, the study found.
The study also showed that subsidized exchange coverage is significantly more expensive than Medicare coverage for individuals with higher incomes.