Public Opinion Divided on Raising Medicare Eligibility Age

Public opinion on the proposal to raise the Medicare age of eligibility has been more divided in recent years, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) analysis of polling results between 1995 and 2013. KFF surveys from 1995 through 2008 reveal that a clear majority of Americans opposed raising the Medicare age of eligibility. In 2009, the gap in opinion began to narrow. In fact, in KFF surveys conducted in 2011, 2012 and 2013, there was no clear majority of Americans in favor of raising the Medicare eligibility age or opposed to it. In KFF’s most recent survey, Americans are divided: 51 percent are opposed to raising the eligibility age and 48 percent are supportive.

KFF found that there is some room to shift public opinion either for or against the proposal. In its most recent survey, individuals were presented with counterarguments that challenged their initial positions.

Among those who were initially opposed to raising the eligibility age, three in ten were more likely to be in favor of the proposal after hearing the counterargument that raising the eligibility age would help preserve the Medicare program and save the federal government money. Similarly, just over half of the respondents who were initially supportive of raising the Medicare eligibility age said they would be more likely to oppose the proposal after hearing that healthcare costs would increase for employers and those near retirement age as a result.

Raising the Medicare eligibility age from 65 to 67 would save the federal government money by shifting costs to older adults and employers. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, this change would increase total health care costs, as costs to consumers would be twice as large as any net federal savings.

Read the KFF analysis