Sen. Sherrod Brown hopes Biden package will extend Medicare buy-in option to people 50 and over

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Ohio’s Sen. Sherrod Brown and a group of his Democratic colleagues in the U.S. Senate on Wednesday re-introduced legislation that would allow people aged 50 and over to buy into Medicare. They said they’ve asked President Joe Biden to include the idea in a $1 trillion “American Families Plan” he’ll unveil on April 28, and are hopeful that he’ll do so.

Brown said he’s pushed legislation for more than two decades to lower the age threshold to qualify for the popular federal health insurance program that currently serves people aged 65 and older. He said that as people approach retirement, their health care costs and needs for prescription drugs tend to go up, as the ability of some workers get private insurance declines.

“There are many millions of Americans who are in their 50s and early 60s that would love the opportunity of getting on Medicare,” said Brown, who said past efforts to let younger people buy into Medicare failed because they were blocked by insurance companies and conservative politicians.

Brown and two other bill cosponsors - Michigan’s Debbie Stabenow and Wisconsin’ Tammy Baldwin - said they hope the proposal will be included in Biden’s upcoming package, and get a vote in Congress.

Read more: https://www.cleveland.com/open/2021/04/sen-sherrod-brown-hopes-biden-package-will-extend-medicare-buy-in-option-to-people-50-and-over.html