Dems introduce Medicare Part E bill (the "Choose Medicare Act")

This one is interesting. On the surface it's a public option bill (creating a new optional Medicare Part E available to people who don't already have Medicare, Medicaid, or CHIP). And it's a relatively expansive public option, in that it's available not just to people shopping in an ACA marketplace, but also to employers in the small and large group markets, including self-insured employers who just want to use Medicare as a third party administrator. Its costs are fully covered by premiums on enrollees, set in accordance with the usual ACA rules.

All Medicare-participating providers would be in network for the Medicare Part E plan, provider prices are negotiated (bounded by traditional Medicare prices on the lower end and the average ACA marketplace provider prices on the upper end), and it gets to take advantage of the new Medicare drug price negotiations. In the metal hierarchy of ACA marketplace pans, it's a gold plan.

But this bill is also much more than that. It fixes traditional Medicare's benefit design (adding an out-of-pocket maximum), permanently provides more generous ACA premium subsidies (which can be applied to the Medicare Part E plan) by changing the benchmark plan from a silver plan to a gold plan, locks in the expiring Inflation Reduction Act scale for scaling premium contributions to income, and it lowers out-of-pocket liability for marketplace plans for most low-to-middle income buyers by substantially expanding the ACA's cost-sharing reduction subsidies. Premiums and out-of-pocket expenses still exist, but get a lot more affordable for many people--for all ACA marketplace plans, not just the Medicare Part E offering.

Democrats introduce bill to establish a Medicare 'Part E' public option

Democrats in the House and Senate have introduced new legislation that would establish a "Part E" for Medicare, which would allow people to opt into the program.

Reps. Jimmy Gomez, D-Calif., and Don Beyer, D-Va., on Monday put forward the Choose Medicare Act. Under the proposal, a potential Medicare Part E would have the program compete with private insurance. Democratic Sens. Jeff Merkley, of Ore., and Chris Murphy, of Conn., introduced a companion bill in that chamber.

Medicare Part E as outlined in the bill would sustain itself through premiums, with enrollees able to sign up through any state or federal insurance marketplace. Any existing subsidies available for Affordable Care Act (ACA) plans would be applicable to Part E coverage.

The bill would also allow employers to choose to provide Part E coverage to workers.

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Plans would be required to cover the ACA's 10 essential health benefits and include "a full range of reproductive health services, including abortion," according to the announcement.

In addition, the bill would establish a cap on out-of-pocket costs for traditional Medicare and allow the program to negotiate drug prices. The Part E coverage would also include consumer protections against surprise medical bills, the announcement said.

The proposal echoes the longstanding Democratic push for a public option or a government-backed insurance product that would compete directly with existing private insurance plans.

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Obviously it's not going to go anywhere for a while, but at first glance, there's a lot to like in there. Anyway, fun one.

Greenbeard said:

This one is interesting. On the surface it's a public option bill (creating a new optional Medicare Part E available to people who don't already have Medicare, Medicaid, or CHIP). And it's a relatively expansive public option, in that it's available not just to people shopping in an ACA marketplace, but also to employers in the small and large group markets, including self-insured employers who just want to use Medicare as a third party administrator. Its costs are fully covered by premiums on enrollees, set in accordance with the usual ACA rules.

All Medicare-participating providers would be in network for the Medicare Part E plan, provider prices are negotiated (bounded by traditional Medicare prices on the lower end and the average ACA marketplace provider prices on the upper end), and it gets to take advantage of the new Medicare drug price negotiations. In the metal hierarchy of ACA marketplace pans, it's a gold plan.

But this bill is also much more than that. It fixes traditional Medicare's benefit design (adding an out-of-pocket maximum), permanently provides more generous ACA premium subsidies (which can be applied to the Medicare Part E plan) by changing the benchmark plan from a silver plan to a gold plan, locks in the expiring Inflation Reduction Act scale for scaling premium contributions to income, and it lowers out-of-pocket liability for marketplace plans for most low-to-middle income buyers by substantially expanding the ACA's cost-sharing reduction subsidies. Premiums and out-of-pocket expenses still exist, but get a lot more affordable for many people--for all ACA marketplace plans, not just the Medicare Part E offering.

Democrats introduce bill to establish a Medicare 'Part E' public option



Obviously it's not going to go anywhere for a while, but at first glance, there's a lot to like in there. Anyway, fun one.

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/3911

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Another (proposed) baby step towards Medicare for all.

ttwtt78640 said:

Another (proposed) baby step towards Medicare for all.

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Sort of, though more like an ACA marketplace gold plan for all.

ttwtt78640 said:

Another (proposed) baby step towards Medicare for all.

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If so, I'd go with Medicaid for all making the FICA tax solely for Social Security with the rate being 7.65% instead of 6.2%, and eliminate Medicare moving all to Medicaid.