A bill to be introduced by Sens. Michael Bennet, D-Colorado, and Tim Kaine, D-Virginia, would create new options for Americans under the age of 65 to use Medicare provider networks, effectively serving as the public insurance option that was left out of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
The Washington Post reported this legislation, called “Medicare-X,” would allow anyone to buy into a publicly provided plan of Medicare providers, with similar rates. It would initially be limited to counties where one or no insurers are participating on the ACA’s exchanges. This would cover 1,524 counties if it would be available for 2018, according to the last exchange issuer data released by CMS.
Both then-President Barack Obama and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton supported a revival of the public option last year. Bennet and Kaine’s proposal would offer a more centrist healthcare overhaul than the “Medicare for All” plan from Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, or the Republican repeal-and-replace bills.
“Consumers can compare it with available private options and make the choice best for their health,” Kaine said.
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John joined TriMed in 2016, focusing on healthcare policy and regulation. After graduating from Columbia College Chicago, he worked at FM News Chicago and Rivet News Radio, and worked on the state government and politics beat for the Illinois Radio Network. Outside of work, you may find him adding to his never-ending graphic novel collection.