The Ryan Plan Redux

• Published in: Health & social work Vol. 37; no. 3; pp. 131 - 132
• Main Author: Gorin, Stephen H.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Oxford University Press 01.08.2012
• Subjects: Age; Aging (Individuals); Bills; Block Grants; Budget deficits; Company business management; Cost Sharing - economics; Cost Sharing - legislation & jurisprudence; Cost Sharing - trends; Costs; Economic policy; Eligibility; Entitlement spending; Federal budget; Financing, Government - economics; Financing, Government - legislation & jurisprudence; Financing, Government - trends; Government regulation; Government spending policy; Health care expenditures; Health Expenditures - legislation & jurisprudence; Health Expenditures - trends; Humans; Insurance; Laws, regulations and rules; Management; Medicaid - economics; Medicaid - legislation & jurisprudence; Medicaid - trends; Medicare; Medicare - economics; Medicare - legislation & jurisprudence; Medicare - trends; Older people; Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act - economics; Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act - legislation & jurisprudence; Political representation; Politics; Retirement; Ryan, Paul (American congressional representative); Social security; Social Security - economics; Social Security - legislation & jurisprudence; Social Security - trends; Social Work; United States; United States economic conditions; Vice-Presidential candidates; Water; Welfare Services; United States
• ISSN: 0360-7283; 1545-6854
• DOI: 10.1093/hsw/hls008

[...]this is somewhat problematic. Because Ryan's proposal would allow private insurers to gear their plans to younger and healthier beneficiaries, individuals in poorer health, "who cost more to serve," would likely become concentrated in the traditional plan (Greenstein, 2012). Beginning in 2023, the eligibility age would increase at the rate of two months a year until reaching 67 in 2034 (Van de Water, 2012). Because the bill would also repeal the Affordable Care Act, which helps extend coverage to many without insurance, it would force "many 65-and 66-year olds" without coverage through an employer to turn to the "poorly regulated individual insurance market that charges older individuals extremely high premiums" (Van de Water, 2012).