Democrats strategically dropped a proposal to expand Medicare this last week in an effort to build support for the current health care overhaul. The proposed Medicare expansion intended to offer individuals ranging from 55-64 years of age the ability to buy into Medicare early. This idea was originally introduced during September health care discussions; however, no action was taken on this plan. The original idea was to offer coverage to people older than 55 years of age if they were laid off, and did not have another means to obtain affordable health insurance coverage.

When the plan to expand Medicare was recently reintroduced it threatened whether or not the entire health care overhaul would have any chance for approval. Many individuals in Washington were opposed the expansion of Medicare because of the plan passed by the Senate Finance Committee; namely, Americans would be given subsidies to buy private insurance.

By abandoning the proposal to expand Medicare, Democrats have helped maintain support for the changes to our current health care system. Although there is a push to get a final vote on the bill before Christmas, there are still numerous issues many believe need to be further addressed.