Overview

This paper examines the need for insurance expansions for Americans approaching retirement age and analyzes the likely impact of Medicare buy-in options on program costs and their effectiveness in reducing the numbers of uninsured. Under former President Clinton, policy strategies included a specific proposal to have a buy-in program for those ages 55 through 64 as part of broader Medicare reforms. The graying of the baby boom generation, rising health insurance premiums, and limited options for affordable coverage for uninsured adults ages 55 to 64 suggest that this issue will continue to be salient in the future. In this analysis, we take the Clinton proposals as a starting point. We then examine two other options that would include premium assistance so that eligible adults pay no more than 5 or 10 percent of their income to buy in to Medicare.

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