WASHINGTON – A broad coalition of Democrats from across the ideological spectrum plans on Thursday to begin what it promises to be a loud and sustained campaign to pressure President Biden to add a major Medicare addition to his infrastructure package.
More than 150 House Democrats – including Representative Pramila Jayapal of Washington, chairman of the progressive wing of the House, and Representative Jared Golden of Maine, one of the chamber’s most centrist Democrats – have teamed up in what is far from certain to draw Republican opposition but contains suggestions that are popular with a broad segment of the electorate.
Disappointed that Mr Biden has not yet responded to an election promise to expand Medicare benefits, members of the group, which together represent nearly 70 percent of House Democrats, have signed a letter starting their print campaign. The organizers say it will contain opinion pieces and press events. Representatives Conor Lamb from Pennsylvania and Joe Neguse from Colorado are also leading the push.
“It is really unusual for a health proposition to reach this intensity,” Ms. Jayapal said in an interview.
At the heart of the plan is to call for the Medicare Eligibility Age to be lowered from 65 to 60 and to enroll approximately 23 million Americans on the federal senior health program, which will cost $ 200 billion over 10 years. Lawmakers are also pushing for Medicare benefits to be extended to include teeth, eyesight and hearing, which would cost approximately $ 350 billion over 10 years.
Legislators say the third element of their package more than offsets the cost: Medicare’s power to negotiate drug prices. Ms. Jayapal said change – one that Democrats have been unsuccessful in promoting for years – could generate as much as $ 650 billion in a decade, although the Congressional budget bureau has estimated the savings at about $ 450 billion over that period.
Mr Golden, who has historically opposed some large-ticket spending, including the nearly $ 1.9 trillion stimulus bill, said the Department of Veterans Affairs, which has the power to negotiate drug prices for veterans, is paying far less for prescription drugs than the rest of the government.
The Government Accountability Office found that the prescription drug division paid an average of 54 percent less than Medicare in 2017.
Lawmakers have made Zoom calls with White House officials over the proposal, which they hope Mr Biden will include in a large spending package that can lead the Senate through accelerated budget reconciliation this year.
It is not clear whether Mr Biden and other Democrats in Congress will accept the move, as Democratic leaders have focused on competing efforts to achieve a permanent increase in health subsidies under the Affordable Care Act in the Boom Act. There is widespread support for this proposal, including from hospitals who want to get the higher private insurance rates and insurers who want more people to buy their products. Any attempt to expand Medicare is likely to encounter opposition from the same groups.
Updated
May 26, 2021, 9:17 p.m. ET
However, Ms. Jayapal argued that the two health care proposals were compatible. She said negotiating lower drug prices could generate enough money to pay for the changes to the Affordable Care Act as well. If not, “there are many sources of income that are possible and necessary,” she said.
The Medicare proposals have proven popular with so-called Front Democrats – those who represent conservative districts. More than a dozen have joined the effort, underscoring its bipartisan appeal.
After meeting with White House officials on the matter, Neguse argued that Democrats could go further and lower the Medicare Eligibility Age to 55 to cover more than 40 million additional people.
“Many seniors in our nation cannot treat their illnesses because Medicare benefits are not as comprehensive as they should be,” he said.
Democrats say that at least 75 percent of Medicare beneficiaries who require a hearing aid do not have a hearing aid, and much of the country has low rates for dental visits or eye exams.
Mr. Golden said when speaking to voters he had heard repeatedly that the change would help the residents of his district.
“How crazy is it that we have been paying into Medicare all our professional lives, and at the time when your dental care is likely to be the most important, Medicare doesn’t even cover it?” he said. “I know seniors get frustrated with this.”
Nearly 20 Senators, led by Senator Bernie Sanders, the independent Vermonter, have joined forces on a similar call for White House action on the matter.
