Why can't Congress simply extend Medicare to everyone?

Congress extended Medicare to federal employees in 1982, including the taxes that were carried with it.

They are pushing legislation that would, among other things, extend the sign-up deadline, allow Medicare to negotiate prices directly with drug companies and impose new regulations on private drug plans.

That is tantamount to extending Medicare to all Americans.

Extending and improving Medicare would be simpler and more realistic than trying to shore up a fundamentally irrational system by measures like patients' rights bills.

The simplest bills merely extend Medicare to all legal residents.

Why not extend Medicare to all Americans?

Health care reform has achieved this by extending Medicare for an additional ten years.

In the same issue, a letter writer suggests extending Medicare to more Americans.

In many ways, this would be tantamount to extending Medicare to the entire population.