@article {5476, title = {Health Insurance on the Way to Medicare: Is Special Government assistance warranted?}, year = {2001}, institution = {The Commonwealth Fund, Publication 457}, abstract = {The survey analyses described in this report are intended to help policymakers understand better the health insurance problems that confront Americans who are approaching age 65 and Medicare eligibility. A clear understanding of these problems is crucial to deciding whether or not to proceed with incremental coverage reforms for older, pre-Medicare adults. We had four specific research objectives: 1. To learn about the transitions in health insurance coverage experienced by older adults prior to age 65, especially as they relate to changes in employment and health; 2. To look at how well a policy allowing people to buy in to the Medicare program at age 62 (as proposed by former President Clinton and others) would compensate for the loss of employer-based insurance; 3. To see if there are compelling arguments, in addition to early retirement and the loss of employer coverage, to target older Americans in particular for coverage expansions; 4. To explore the empirical justification for targeting people age 62 and older, rather than setting eligibility for a buy-in at some other age. More generally, we wanted to produce a compendium of relevant statistics that would be useful to policy analysts and others who are considering coverage reforms for older Americans.}, keywords = {Medicare/Medicaid/Health Insurance, Retirement Planning and Satisfaction}, url = {https://www.commonwealthfund.org/sites/default/files/documents/___media_files_publications_fund_report_2001_jun_health_insurance_on_the_way_to_medicare__is_special_government_assistance_warranted_short_insurance_to_medicare_457_pdf.pdf}, author = {Pamela F. Short and Dennis G. Shea and M. Paige Powell} }