Cost shift seen if Medicare age raised

Cost shift seen if Medicare age raised

WASHINGTON

Employers and even some younger people would pay more for health insurance if lawmakers raise the eligibility age for Medicare, a study to be released today concludes.

The findings suggest that the emerging debate over Medicare’s future matters not only to seniors and those nearing retirement, but to a broad cross-section of Americans.

The report from the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation shows that federal taxpayers would save billions if the Medicare eligibility age, currently 65, is increased by two years. But people age 65 and 66, employers — along with states, Medicare recipients and even some younger families — would see ripple effects that add to their costs.

Ex-Khmer Rouge appeals sentence

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia

The man who admitted overseeing the torture and killing of 16,000 people as the Khmer Rouge’s chief prison warden returned to the courtroom in Cambodia to appeal his 19-year prison sentence for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Kaing Guek Eav — also known as Duch — is the only person so far to be tried by a special U.N.-backed tribunal set up to investigate and prosecute officials from the brutal ultra-Marxist regime whose four-year rule in the 1970s led to the deaths of an estimated 1.7 million people.

The 68-year-old Duch was sentenced last July to 35 years in prison for war crimes and crimes against humanity, but the sentence was commuted to 19 years because of time already served and other technicalities. The sentence was widely criticized as too lenient.

Father, son die in sailboat expedition

SAN DIEGO

A father and son died when a sailboat carrying 10 people on an excursion organized by a group that helps disabled people capsized in calm water in San Diego Bay, authorities said Monday.

Chao Chen, 73, and his son, Jun Chen, 48, of San Diego died Sunday night, San Diego Harbor police Chief John Bolduc said. Another person, who was not identified, was in serious condition.

Among those thrown into the water were two young adults with undisclosed special needs, and a 10-year-old girl and an 11-year-old boy who were wearing life jackets, authorities said.

Some people on the boat were not wearing life jackets, Balduc said, but authorities had not yet determined how many.

Police investigate newspaper bomb

VACAVILLE, Calif.

An elderly man injured in an explosion while retrieving a newspaper alongside his Northern California driveway was recovering after surgery Monday, while police pursued leads to identify who made the bomb that wounded him and prompted evacuations in his neighborhood.

Vacaville Police have not released the name of the victim, a man in his 80s who suffered injuries to his side, a hand and one of his arms in the Sunday morning blast.

Governor orders labor art removed

PORTLAND, Maine

A mural depicting Maine’s labor history was removed from the lobby of the state Department of Labor headquarters and put into storage over the weekend after a directive from the new Republican governor that it come down.

The 36-foot, 11-panel mural will be kept at an undisclosed location until a suitable spot can be found to put it on public display, said Adrienne Bennett, spokeswoman for Gov. Paul LePage.

The artwork was not appropriate for the Department of Labor because it is one-sided in favor of labor interests at the expense of business interests at a time when LePage is pushing a pro-business agenda, Bennett said.

Associated Press