FABULOUS UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCE: Medicare for all over 55 = mass retirements, immediately.

DO IT! It will open a lot of jobs, everywhere, almost overnight.

Not the sort of signal that older employees should be getting.

I have been eligible for 3 years and only keep working for the insurance.

And my employer can hire TWO new teachers for what they pay me.

I strongly support lowering Medicare eligibility to 55.

I just want you to be able to retire on your terms, not someone else's. :hi:

have to be on the company plan any more.

Why do you suggest that older employees would be pressured to retire (if not b/c of health care insurance costs)? If you are talking about "lack of skills" you can simply train. Not all of the latest technology is rocket science...and older employees make up in experience and maturity what they lack in the technology stuff.

Those who would like to work may find it easier to find work as the employers will not be faced with covering them on their health care plans. Those who are working just for the health insurance (and many are) could retire and open up the job market a little.

be MORE secure because the employers are off the hook for their healthcare.

Quick pop quiz -- who is responsible the majority of expensive healthcare in a corporation? Older employees. They are being forced out now for this vary reason. This will reduce the incentive a company has to push you out. It will be voluntary.

At a reasonable cost. So would my husband.

and they aren't financially ready to retire.

You can't live on medical care alone.

You must be very young.

to retire but are having to work til Medicare kicks in at 65.

:hi:

but health care costs were always the road block. Life went crazy and we've lost pretty much everything including my job. But it is definitely doable for a lot of those in our age group. And I don't know any of them who would keep working if they can swing it, financially.

making a change to Social Security benefits, too.

There are those with other sources of retirement income who could easily retire if they had health coverage. I would think at 64, they'll hang on for the higher benefit.

There are a lot of people working right now who are that age. Remember? This is the baby boomer age group. There's lots of them (us, I'm at the tail end).

managed it in their 50's and a lot who retired at 62.

She retired at 62 and found that her insurance had gone up astronomically. She was expecting that her reduced SS benefit at 62 would be enough but was facedwiith a crises. She finally worked it out but is faced with lots of economic problems...such a sad situation. I had asked her why she didn't just wait it out until 65 but she said she was so pressured by the employer she couldn't take it any more. Worn down thru multiply health problems, she gave up ...

and the last 7 sever years seems like 7 seconds.

and worked a UAW job.

never had kids, was single for 22 years. Screwed up and married a year after I retired. She tried and failed to take everything. Took what I had left and moved out of state in fear for my life. She was a cop. 3 year marriage and 3 years in divorce court.

Even if they did the side effect is that it will make it even more difficult for those over 50 to get a job.

were able to. One of the major factors was they had retirement packages that covered health benefits. As to your other point, I think the opposite is true. The over 50's are having a horrible time getting jobs if they need them because they run up the insurance rates for companies that provided benefits. If the employers are off the hook for these older workers there are good reasons to hire them.

But we need to expand or focus beyond the rich and well off.
The vast majority of 50 year old's aren't rich enough to retire that young.

The reasons for age discrimination are many and most times its "gut feel" from the hiring manager.

I'm not in my 50's yet, but I'm getting close and I already feel vibe. I really don't like the idea of even more reasons to put me out to pasture.

But many cannot -- incomes drop with retirement for almost everyone. And many of us won't want to.

Life is good......looking forward to Medicare, though.

It is not as low as people think and somewhat scary when you are on a fixed income.

My personal example - I just turned 65.
Medicare Part A - free (If you ignore the over $50,000 I have paid in since 1966)
Medicare Part B - $154.70 a month
Medicare Supplemental - $83.25 a month
Medicare D - $40.00 a month and is lousy coverage
Total = $277.95 a month

The monthly cost will go up every year. The Medicare Supplemental is, of course, private insurance and has no cap.

My full retirement age is 66 but I don't plan to retire because medical coverage will cost more every year. And SS won't have a cost of living increase for at least three more years. Some boomers might retire but not that many once they start looking at the numbers.

or private insurance. There are those out there who have enough to live on if they can get health coverage for the rates you posted. COBRA for my husband and myself was $1200 per month. $277.95 looks good.

In mid-2008 most boomers felt better than they do right now about their future.

I don't know what COBRA is.

Allows workers who lose their jobs to continue their health care benefits but it is dreadfully expensive. And you can only continue it for 18 months. Retirement funds have lost value but I maintain there are those who have enough to make it if they can get health care benefits at an affordable rate.

... don'cha know.

Watch for the stampede (not). Around here (in middle Tennessee), folks are working into their seventies, holding on to their jobs for dear life, to stay alive.

There are only so many slots for greeters at Wal-mart.

country. I am not among those who has enough but I count at least 5 people among my circle of friends who retired in their 50's. It will open up some jobs. It will also help older workers who need a job get hired as the employer will not be on the hook for older workers who run up their cost of benefits.

It is the others (those who must keep working and those without health insurance) who we should continue to focus on, IMHO.

I did not intend to over-generalize in my earlier comment. However, I do believe that most people who need help obtaining insurance are also people who are struggling to make ends meet. It is an interesting proposition whether dropping Medicare eligibility to age 55 will have any impact on increasing employment opportunities. The OP only suggested that as a possibility without any corroboration to support the proposition.

If we had ham, we could have ham and eggs, ... if we had eggs.

Insurance premiums go up when you retire. They can make retirement unaffordable.

not encouraged with the bill any more. I'm just extremely disappointed

Why?

health care benefits until they are eligible for Medicare. The ones in that group will retire if they can buy in early.

a public option was to get extra funds into Medicare, the same money that would be paid to private insurance. This doesn't really do that, does it? Our bought and paid for by the insurance cartels Senators strike again protecting their cash cows.

and we don't know yet what the details of this proposal are. I know this-it will keep the pre-Medicare age group off the private insurance roles and take away one of their excuses for their jacked up rates. They won't be carrying as much risk and won't be able to whine about that.

That could shorten my work life by about 1.5 years. I'll just stay on to pay some bills, then I'm outta here.

And yes...it would create jobs.

and yes, if I had Medicare, I would retire...plus my pension agency would not have to worry about hoarding all that money for health insurance and can split it up and give me a real 20 year retirement instead of having to work 30 or now even (proposed) 35-37 years to get a living wage for retirement.

On edit - of course, I can retire in July 2013, but December 2012 is before that, so this is probably moot as everyone knows the world will have ended....



/sarcasm

where they get some retirement after 20 years. And a lot of people have those 20 in at 55. I'm not one of them but I know quite a few of them.

if I could get Medicare.

Medicare would cover a lot of my healthcare, but it won't pay the rent.

You assume a great deal about people having the means to retire at that age.

Most people I know will work until they either die, or are physically unable to, wether they have health care coverage or not is immaterial.

Their savings and retirement have been devastated from multiple layoffs, or are just 'made redundant' by their employers, and are flat broke.

They cannot afford to retire, and still pay the bills.

There are people making some money on the side and they might take the plunge if they could afford health insurance.

next time, think before you post.

My husband's plan will cover them till they're 26, even if they're not in school.

Fire experienced teachers whenever you can, anytime you want, for any reason you want, and replace them with CHEAPER replacements. I see similarities. Fuck, we've been had.