Recall the infamous game show The $64,000 Question? With the Ryan Medicare plan front and center, we’ve launched The $6,400 Question, a regular Q&A about the Ryan plan. After all, seniors in 2022 would be paying an additional $6,400 a year in out-of-pocket health care costs under the Ryan budget that passed the House with nearly unanimous Republican support in 2011. So without further ado, today’s question…

QUESTION: What percentage of Americans are on Medicare?

ANSWER: Overall, 16 percent of Americans are on Medicare – 49,435,000 out of 312,800,000 total. Among adults, 21 percent are on Medicare – 49,435,000 out of 234,564,000. Thus, Ryan’s scheme could result in widespread, inter-generational economic effects as one in five adults who otherwise would have enrolled in Medicare are forced to begin shopping for health insurance with a voucher. A state-by-state breakdown is available here.

Medicare Enrollment