It’s not the worst next step, but Medicare is far from a perfect system.
Just the question of what’s covered can sometimes be almost as complex as tax code. It also carries a 20% coinsurance, which for big ticket stuff can still bankrupt you in a hurry. And there’s a big push towards privatization/contracting out the administration to the big companies.
The one thing Medicare does well is that it covers everyone. Hit 65 years old and you’re in. It’s an entitlement. There’s a lot to be said for establishing a standard of health care coverage as an entitlement (veeeery loosely translated as “human right”) no matter what age.