Do Not Be Deceived! Medicare For All Will Crash the System.

• Author: Held, Kristin S.
• Position: GUEST OPINION

* Deceptively, pollsters report that "Medicare For All" is popular with Americans, as the media proclaims healthcare a top concern on voters' minds a mere two weeks before the midterm election. While many candidates are indeed running on a "Medicare For All" platform, few Americans realize that a Medicare for All bill actually exists, and that it already has 123 Democrat co-sponsors. H.R.676, "The Expanded and Improved Medicare For All Act," was introduced January 24, 2017, by former Representative John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI). Representative Keith Ellison (D-MN) assumed sponsorship when Conyers resigned after 52 years in Congress, amidst multiple allegations of sexual harassment.

If Americans actually knew what was in this bill, pollsters would find rare few supporting it.

The following is a dissection of H.R.676, The Expanded & Improved Medicare For All Act, including much of the exact language as written, which is in bold print.

Who is eligible to be registered in the Medicare For All program?

101. ELIGIBILITY AND REGISTRATION.

(a) IN GENERAL.--All individuals residing in the United States (including any territory of the United States) are covered under the Medicare For All Program entitling them to a universal, best quality standard of care. Each such individual shall receive a card with a unique number in the mail. An individual's Social Security number shall not be used for purposes of registration under this section.

All individuals residing in the U.S., including any territory of the US, are covered under the Medicare For All program. Notice, the bill covers residents, not just citizens. The HHS Secretary is given the power to define what constitutes residency. Clearly, the political ideology of the party in the White House will impact this definition. Do you become a resident when your caravan crosses the bridge at the U.S. border? Or will there be something more to show, like a water or electricity bill? And, each individual shall receive a card with a unique number in the mail. Congress has repeatedly refused to fund a previous law to assign another number to Americans. Given the government's record on privacy breaches, what new possibilities for identity theft and other abuses would be unleashed!

What entitlements will Medicare For All provide to all residents of the U.S. and U.S. territories (potentially everyone in the world)? As seen from the text of the bill below, everyone will be theoretically entitled to everything from inpatient care, outpatient care, and prescription drugs to nutritional therapy, long term care, and, of course, palliative care. Again, the presiding political philosophy will play a huge role in determining what care will be provided and for which patients (remember Ezekiel Emanuel's Complete Lives System of rationing by age and return on society's investment). Provision of such procedures as abortion and euthanasia may be prohibited, allowed, or even required, and will depend on political ideology in the Congress, White House, and Supreme Court.

SEC. 102. BENEFITS AND PORTABILITY.

(a) In General.--The health care benefits under this Act cover all medically necessary services, including at least the following:

(1) Primary care and prevention

(2) Approved dietary and nutritional therapies.

(3) Inpatient care.

(4) Outpatient care.

(5) Emergency care.

(6) Prescription drugs.

(7) Durable medical equipment.

(8) Long-term care.

(9) Palliative care.

(10) Mental health services.

11) The full scope of dental services, services, including periodontics, oral surgery, and endodontics, but not including cosmetic dentistry.

(12) Substance abuse treatment services.

(13) Chiropractic services, not including electrical stimulation.

(14) Basic vision care and vision correction (other than laser vision correction for cosmetic purposes).

(15) Hearing services, including coverage of hearing aids.

(16) Podiatric care.

Who will provide all the care? The definition of "legally qualified" is unspecified and remains of concern. The government regulatory strings attached to legal qualification and licensure could be long, expensive, coercive, and destructive to physician and patient autonomy

(b) Portability.--Such benefits are available through any licensed health care clinician anywhere in the United States that is legally qualified to provide the benefits.

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