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Under the 4 to 1 ratio being considered in one Senate bill, according to the study, an average American age 55 to 64 with annual income of about $54,000 would wind up paying about 20 percent of her income for health care, or about $900 per month. Under the 2 to 1 proposal in the House measure, the same individual would pay about $600 monthly.

The 2 to 1 ratio wouldn’t increase costs for younger workers nearly as much as critics suggest, said Linda Blumberg, a coauthor of the study. Nor would the federal government pay more in subsidies than at the 4 to 1 ratio. “There’s almost no difference in government costs across age-rating schemes,” she said. While premiums for younger workers would clearly rise under the 2 to 1 ratio, “not all of the force is landing on young folks because a lot of them will be eligible for a [government] subsidy” for those with low income, part of the mandate that all Americans carry some health insurance.

Michael Zielenziger, author of Shutting Out the Sun, writes on economic issues. He is based in Oakland, Calif.


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