Millions more Americans could get access to Medicare under the latest health proposal by Senate Democrats, but the program may not be cheap enough to entice some of them to sign up, the Wall Street Journal reports. The proposal is part of a compromise that jettisons a broader public health-insurance plan from the Senate's overhaul. Under the Medicare plan, consumers ages 55 to 64 would for the first time be allowed to buy into the federal program for the elderly. The new Medicare program would attract a more expensive pool of enrollees since it is designed for people whose health status makes private coverage unaffordable, and who don't have access to employer-sponsored insurance, reports the Journal.
