Medicare eligibility age change may increase healthcare spending: 4 insights

If the Medicare beneficiary eligibility age increases to 67 years old, the nation's overall healthcare spending may also increase, based on a recent Boston-based Harvard University study, according to McKnight's.

Health Affairs published the study.

Here are four insights:

1. Lawmakers have suggested increasing the eligibility age from 65 years to 67 years to decrease government spending and the federal budget deficit.

2. The new study disproved this theory, however, citing that an age boost would result in more people using private insurance until they turn 67 years old.

3. Most of the private plans would offer higher reimbursements to providers, resulting in an increase of healthcare costs.

4. The researchers found when beneficiaries sign up at age 65, healthcare spending decreased by $38.56 per beneficiary per quarter.

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