Lower Medicare Age May Entice Millions to Drop Employer Coverage

Democratic proposals to lower the age for Medicare eligibility to 60 could cause nearly 12 million to 15 million people to scrap their job-based health insurance and enroll in the program, according to two reports.

In addition to a potential 11.7 million new Medicare enrollees under the proposal, research from the Kaiser Family Foundation estimates that another 2.4 million people, many with coverage through the Obamacare marketplace, could also join if Medicare eligibility drops from 65 to 60.

Researchers at Avalere Health say the coverage migration could be even larger. They estimate 14.9 million people could drop employer-based coverage to ...