Biden Proposes Lowering Medicare Eligibility Age to 60

U.S. presidential candidate Joe Biden on Thursday proposed lowering the Medicare eligibility age from 65 to 60, reports CNBC . The plan would be in addition to Biden's existing healthcare agenda, which urged a Medicare-like public option. Reducing the age at which people can buy into Medicare is popular among both Democrats and Republicans. A Kaiser Family Foundation tracking poll from January 2019 found almost 90 percent of Democrats and 69 percent of Republicans favor allowing those as young as 50 to buy into Medicare. Biden added that his proposal to lower eligibility age would work to the advantage of older Americans after immediate economic troubles from the COVID-19 pandemic end. "It reflects the reality that, even after the current crisis ends, older Americans are likely to find it difficult to secure jobs," he wrote. Biden also said the plan would be financed "out of general revenues to protect the Medicare Trust Fund."