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Social Security & Medicare · Report · File No. 261111-718

Baldwin bill would let Americans ages 50 to 64 buy into Medicare

Sen. Tammy Baldwin introduced the Medicare at 50 Act on Tuesday, a week after Democrats won control of Congress. The bill is aimed at people in their 50s and early 60s, who are facing much higher premiums since extra federal help with health insurance costs ended.

By the Kitchen-Table Desk · · 4 min read

Every quote in this story (4) was matched word for word against its source. How we work

My clippings
Tammy Baldwin
Tammy Baldwin. Photo: Sen. Tammy Baldwin, Public domain

Sen. Tammy Baldwin, a Wisconsin Democrat, introduced a bill on Tuesday that would let Americans ages 50 to 64 buy into Medicare before turning 65 1. Medicare is the federal health insurance program for older Americans. Her office says the Medicare at 50 Act would give more than 58 million people a new way to get coverage 3.

It is Baldwin's first bill since the Nov. 3 midterm election 2, when Democrats won majorities in both the House and the Senate 9. Nine Democratic senators signed on as cosponsors: Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Jeff Merkley of Oregon, Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, Jack Reed of Rhode Island, Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, Andy Kim and Cory Booker of New Jersey, Ed Markey of Massachusetts and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York 1.

On tapeWEAU 13 News · Nov 10
WEAU 13 News report titled 'Medicare at 50 Act' introduced, 32 seconds long, uploaded Nov. 10.Video: WEAU 13 News on YouTube, “'Medicare at 50 Act' introduced”. It plays from YouTube when you press play.

Nothing changes yet. Republican Mike Johnson stays on as House speaker until the new Congress takes over 9, and the bill has not moved through Congress. Any version that does pass would still need President Donald Trump's signature to become law.

What the bill would do

People who buy in would get the same benefits and protections as Medicare Part A (hospital care), Part B (doctor visits and outpatient care) and Part D (prescription drugs). They could also choose a private Medicare Advantage plan instead 12.

From Channel GOPVan Hollen asks Patel if lying to Congress is a crimeChris Van Hollen · 194 plays · captioned, with the source named

People who qualify could also use the premium tax credits and help with out-of-pocket costs offered on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace 12. The Marketplace is the government-run website where people without job-based coverage shop for insurance. In Baldwin's words, it would be an "option to buy into Medicare at 50" 1.

The announcement did not include a cost estimate for the bill 2. It also did not say what monthly premium a 55-year-old would pay to buy in.

Tammy Baldwin
finding affordable health insurance means paying through the nose or going without the coverage they need altogether.
Tammy Baldwin, U.S. senator, D-Wis.2

Why people in their 50s and early 60s are struggling

Baldwin's office says 11.5% of Americans ages 55 to 64 have no health insurance. It also says Marketplace premiums for people ages 50 to 64 doubled in 2026, while enrollment in that age group fell 6% 3.

An analysis by KFF, a nonpartisan health research group, shows why. Since the extra federal help with premiums expired, a 60-year-old earning $65,000 pays $10,389 more a year, about $865 a month 5. For a 60-year-old earning about $62,757, the cost of a standard silver plan at least doubles in 46 states and the District of Columbia. In Wyoming, it rises by $22,452 a year 5.

KFF found that people ages 50 to 64 make up about half of those buying their own insurance who earn more than four times the federal poverty level. People above that line no longer get any federal help paying premiums 5. Van Hollen said the problem "has only been exacerbated by Trump and Republicans' healthcare cuts" 1.

Andy Kim
Voters sent a clear message in these midterms: lower costs now.
Andy Kim, U.S. senator, D-N.J.1

The receipt

None of the news reports on the new bill included a Republican response 14. But Republicans have already gone on record about lowering the Medicare age.

In 2022, Democrats floated lowering the eligibility age to 60. Rep. Jason Smith of Missouri, then the top Republican on the House Budget Committee, said in a statement that "Seniors who rely on Medicare must be protected from this dangerous idea" 7. His committee's release cited a CBO estimate that the change would add $155 billion to federal deficits over 2026 to 2031. (CBO is the Congressional Budget Office, Congress's nonpartisan scorekeeper.) The release also said 4.8 million people would lose private coverage 7.

Lowering the eligibility age to 60 would threaten the hard-earned benefits of current and future seniors
Jason Smith, then top Republican on the House Budget Committee, R-Mo. (2022 statement)7

The pattern is worth noticing. Republicans pitched a change for people under 65 as a threat to today's retirees. But the release Smith's committee put out did not say any current senior would lose a benefit. Its main points were federal costs and people moving off private insurance 7.

What happens next

House Democrats filed their own version on Oct. 23. The Improving Medicare Coverage Act, from Reps. Pramila Jayapal of Washington, Chris Deluzio of Pennsylvania, Debbie Dingell of Michigan and Pat Ryan of New York, has 41 cosponsors 6. It would also lower the Medicare age from 65 to 50. It would expand Extra Help, the program that pays drug costs for lower-income people on Medicare, raising the income limit from 135% to 200% of the poverty level 6.

This is a commonsense bill, and I look forward to passing it through the Democratically-controlled House next year.
Pat Ryan, U.S. representative, D-N.Y.6

Baldwin has pushed this idea for years. In April 2021 she reintroduced the Medicare at 50 Act with Democratic Sens. Debbie Stabenow of Michigan and Sherrod Brown of Ohio. They cited a Kaiser Family Foundation poll showing 77% of the public supported the option 8.

That matters because the votes in Congress are about to change. In January, Democrats will control which bills get hearings and votes in both chambers 9. Whether Trump would sign a Medicare buy-in is an open question. Until then, people in their 50s and early 60s buying their own insurance will keep paying the higher prices KFF documented 5.

The Record

  1. Baldwin, Stabenow and Brown reintroduce the Medicare at 50 Act, citing a poll showing 77% support 8
  2. Rep. Jason Smith calls lowering the Medicare age to 60 a 'dangerous idea' and cites a $155 billion deficit estimate 7
  3. KFF finds a 60-year-old earning $65,000 pays $10,389 more a year after extra ACA help expired 5
  4. House Democrats introduce the Improving Medicare Coverage Act, which would lower the Medicare age to 50 6
  5. Baldwin introduces the Medicare at 50 Act with nine Democratic cosponsors 1
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Sources

  1. WEAU, “Bill introduced to lower age of Medicare eligibility to 50” (2026-11-10). weau.com/2026/11/10/bill-introduced-lower-age-medicare-eligi
  2. WKOW, “Sen. Baldwin proposes lowering Medicare eligibility age to 50” (2026-11-10). wkow.com/news/sen-baldwin-proposes-lowering-medicare-eligibi
  3. Office of Sen. Tammy Baldwin (via Urban Milwaukee), “Baldwin Leads Colleagues in Introducing Bill to Lower Age of Medicare Eligibility to 50, Lower Health Care Costs” (2026-11-10). urbanmilwaukee.com/pressrelease/baldwin-leads-colleagues-in-
  4. Civic Media, “Senate Democrats introduce the "Medicare at 50" Act” (2026-11-10). civicmedia.us/news/2026/11/10/senate-democrats-introduce-the
  5. KFF, “How Will the Loss of Enhanced Premium Tax Credits Affect Older Adults?” (2026-02-26). kff.org/affordable-care-act/how-will-the-loss-of-enhanced-pr
  6. Office of Rep. Pramila Jayapal, “Jayapal, Deluzio, Dingell, Ryan Introduce Bill to Lower Medicare Eligibility Age” (2026-10-23). jayapal.house.gov/2026/10/23/jayapal-deluzio-dingell-ryan-in
  7. House Budget Committee Republicans, “Proposal to Lower Medicare Age Portends the Threat to Seniors from Democrats' Medicare for All Scheme” (2022-05-18). budget.house.gov/press-release/proposal-to-lower-medicare-ag
  8. Office of Sen. Tammy Baldwin, “Medicare at 50 Act reintroduced” (2021-04-21). baldwin.senate.gov/news/press-releases/medicare-at-50-2021
  9. FinanceBuzz, “What House Speaker Mike Johnson Said About Social Security Has Retirees on Edge” (2026-11-11). financebuzz.com/mike-johnson-social-security-retirees

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