<THREAD> I wanted to criticize this crappy proposal in one tweet, but 280 characters is not enough! A "55-64 Medicare buy-in" is terrible health care policy that enriches the private health insurers and places additional burden on Medicare and taxpayers. #SinglePayerSunday
First, a 55-64 buy-in relieves private health insurers of the oldest, sickest and most expensive patients they currently insure by sending many of them to the public #SinglePayer program. At the same time, *insurers get to keep the profitable younger and healthier patients!*
Second, a 55-64 buy-in doesn't contribute to fiscal sustainability of Medicare and allow Medicare to offer richer benefits, b/c Medicare is denied additional "premiums" (i.e. tax) from young and healthy people who use less health care and are forced to remain w/ private insurers.
Third, it's Americans *under 35* who have the *most trouble paying medical bills* and accessing health care. This proposal continues to condemn the young to poor health and misery, simply to avoid angering the *useless* private health insurance industry. npr.org/sections/healt… 
From the perspective of overall health system efficiency, a 55-64 buy-in is almost worse than doing nothing, b/c it further enriches private health insurers as taxpayers/Medicare take on more burden for paying medical bills for the sickest and oldest people in the nation (55+).
(Of course, this would be better for everyone 55-64 from a health access perspective, since Medicare is much better coverage than private health insurance, but good policy also needs to be efficient and fair to taxpayers).
There's a reason that a 55-64 Medicare buy-in proposal would be supported by health insurance companies: because it would increase their profits at the expense of taxpayers and everyone under 55! A health policy supported by parasitic rent-seekers is probably not a good one, guys
A 55-64 Medicare buy-in policy is just more bad DC "kludge" that won't achieve universal coverage, will keep Americans under-55 underinsured and vulnerable, and will increase private insurer economic rents at taxpayer expense. Thanks but no thanks!
#SinglePayerSunday
#SinglePayerSunday
