CCHF urges Congress to let seniors opt out of Medicare

Citizens’ Council for Health Freedom is marking Medicare’s 61st anniversary on July 30 by pushing Congress to let older Americans decline Part A without penalty and buy affordable catastrophic coverage. The group says the change would give seniors more choice as Medicare faces insolvency concerns and care denials grow.

Why it matters: - Citizens’ Council for Health Freedom says seniors should be able to leave Medicare without losing Social Security benefits or repaying benefits already received. - The group says Americans should also be able to buy affordable major medical indemnity coverage for catastrophic and insurable events. - CCHF frames the issue as a freedom-of-choice fight as Medicare reaches age 61 on July 30.

What happened: - CCHF used Medicare’s upcoming 61st birthday to call for passage of the Retirement Freedom Act, which would let Americans decline Medicare Part A without penalty. - The organization also urged Congress to repeal restrictions on affordable indemnity insurance and catastrophic coverage. - CCHF President and Co-Founder Twila Brase argued that people should not be forced into Medicare at age 65.

The details: - CCHF says the Retirement Freedom Act includes H.R. 2793 and S. 2810. - U.S. Rep. Gary Palmer, R-Ala., introduced H.R. 2793 on April 9, 2025. - U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, introduced S. 2810 on Sept. 16, 2025, with co-sponsorship from U.S. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah. - The bills would let Americans decline Medicare Part A without losing Social Security benefits. - CCHF says provisions that tie Medicare participation to Social Security were inserted without public comment into a federal operations manual in 1993. - The group says the Affordable Care Act blocks the sale of major medical indemnity insurance and catastrophic coverage for anyone over age 29 unless the buyer qualifies for a hardship or affordability exemption. - CCHF says removing both restrictions would allow a new market for senior and lifelong medical insurance to emerge. - Brase said Medicare is “age discrimination at the highest level.” - Brase said the current system forces people at 65 into a government program, a federal health care tracking program, and a label they did not choose.

Between the lines: - CCHF is linking Medicare reform to broader concerns about coverage denials, pricing and federal control over care. - The group's pitch is less about tweaking Medicare than about creating a parallel market for people who want to exit it. - The message also targets lawmakers ahead of the fall campaign season, turning Medicare policy into an election issue.

What's next: - CCHF is pressing Congress to pass the Retirement Freedom Act and repeal the ACA restriction on affordable catastrophic coverage. - The group says those two changes would open the door to a market for senior and lifelong medical insurance. - CCHF is directing Americans to its free Medicare How-To Guide on its website for help with what it calls “THE MEDICARE DECISION.” - Brase said candidates this fall should explain how they would address what CCHF describes as growing denial of care and looming Medicare insolvency.

The bottom line: - CCHF wants Medicare to become optional for seniors and wants Congress to restore a broader private insurance market alongside it.