Bookmarkers beware: Bookmarks to pages other than the home page may not work after we change servers in April Editor's Choice | This Week in BMJ | Press releases BMJ No 7126 Volume 316 News Saturday 17 January 1998 Medicare to be extended The United States president, Bill Clinton, has unveiled a proposal to extend the eligibility to join Medicare to people aged 55 to 65. The plan aims to ensure that "near elderly" people, a largely uninsured and vulnerable population, have access to guaranteed health insurance coverage. Medicare is the federally administered healthcare plan that provides basic medical coverage to 38 million people in the United States. It is currently restricted to those aged over 65 and to disabled people. The new proposal would allow those aged 62 to 65 to join Medicare early by buying into the plan with a premium of $300-$400 (£188-£250) a month. It would also allow those aged over 55 who have lost their jobs to buy into the programme in a similar way. President Clinton's plan is popular but controversial because Medicare is already in financial straits. Last year government officials estimated that Medicare would run out of money by the year 2001. Republicans have criticised the plan as election year pandering and were sceptical about the results. Senator Phil Gramm, a republican from Texas, said: "If your mother is on the Titanic, and the Titanic is sinking, the last thing you want to be preoccupied with is getting more people on the Titanic." The White House countered that the programme would be self financed through participant premiums. Another problem is that the premiums, although cheaper than many in the private sector, are still prohibitively expensive for most Americans. The administration acknowledged this and estimated that it would help only about 300,000 of the three million uninsured Americans aged 55 to 65. However, John Rother, spokesman for the American Association of Retired Persons, said: "This is a group that needs access to health insurance, and the private market is just not functioning for them. Insurance is very expensive and people with pre-existing conditions often cannot get insurance at any price." Deborah Josefson San Francisco Home | Current issue | Past issues | Classified ads | Career Focus | Feedback Collections | About this site | About the BMJ | BMA | Medline