Health Care Battle May Pit Old vs. Young More Than Red vs. Blue

The health care overhaul plan is split right along party lines.  As Scott Rasmussen's latest poll shows, 81% of Democrats support the Pelosi plan that passed in the house, while 90% of Republicans oppose it.

But with all the partisan squabbling, a new story from the Wall Street Journal indicates the fight may become more young versus old than among party affiliation:

A provision in the House health-care bill sets up a stark choice for Democrats between the interests of younger voters and older ones.  The bill would limit how much insurers can vary premiums based on the age of the person buying the policy. The narrower the range, the lower the premiums for older people, a help to those who currently pay some of the highest rates for insurance and often need coverage the most. But such a limitation tends to raise premiums for younger folks, who are sometimes reluctant to buy coverage.

In the House bill, the ratio can only be as much as 2 to 1, meaning older people could pay no more than twice what the youngest customers are charged. Senate Democrats, who haven't yet unveiled the bill that will go to the floor there, will have to decide whether to echo the House's ratio or use a different one. Lobbyists say one possibility might be 3 to 1, the average of two earlier Senate bills. Currently, the range isn't capped in most states and older people may pay five or six times as much.

Young people don't want to pay more, while the elderly dont wan't their benefits cut.

This may end up as the new battle front, leaving red vs. blue in the dust.