Lower age for Medicare

Sun., Dec. 23, 2012

On Dec. 7, The Spokesman-Review reported an analysis of the Republican proposal to raise the eligibility age for Medicare. According to the analysis, it would increase costs for everyone.

Recipients would pay more because the youngest on Medicare are the healthiest. Folks too young for Medicare would pay more for insurance because the older people no longer eligible for Medicare would increase the amount of care needed. And so on and so forth.

Common sense says the analysis is probably right. In which case, wouldn’t the opposite also be true? Wouldn’t lowering the Medicare age lower costs for everyone?

Of course the chances of our groveling Groverite, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, ever backing something that reasonable are slim and none. She’s too busy holding tea parties.

Larry Blanchard

Spokane Valley

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