Monday, January 25, 2010

Why Should A 65 Year Old Get Insurance, When A 35 Year Old Can't?

The Senate health care bill, thankfully, appears to be dead.

What next? Our health care system is broken. The legislation that has been proposed doesn't do anything fix the problems of escalating costs, cancellation of policies for people who sick, and a lack of universal coverage.

But there is a simple solution. We can expand Medicare, and make it available to everyone.

Medicare is wildly popular among those lucky enough to be eligible. (If you doubt this, try taking it away.)

Why should it be available only to those 65 and older? Why shouldn't a 45 year old be able to buy into it? Why not a 25 year old?

This wouldn't mean creating some vast new government program. The program already exists.

If Medicare doesn't work, we should get rid of it. If it does, then there is no reason on earth not to extend it to people who need it just as much. And given the fact that there are 45,000 people who die each year because they don't have insurance, it's hard to claim that this guy needs it more than any of them.

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