Jumping Into Medicare For All With Eyes Wide Shut.

• Date: 25 February 2019
• Author: Singleton, Marilyn M.

* The unveiling of the ballyhooed House of Representatives Medicare for All Act of 2019 bill will be met with chants of "equal healthcare for all!" While the country will be forced into a government-run program, the limousine liberals and champagne socialists will keep their array of medical care choices--whether on or off the record.

A key feature of the Medicare-for-All bills is the elimination of private health insurance that duplicates benefits offered by the government. Given the coercive nature of the existing Medicare program, we should be very concerned. Medicare Part A (hospital insurance) is mandatory for those eligible for Medicare who receive Social Security payments. If beneficiaries want to opt out of Part A, they must forfeit all of their Social Security payments--including paying back any Social Security benefits received up to the time Part A was declined. So a "beneficiary" is punished for saving federal dollars by declining to be on the government healthcare dole.

Enrollment in Medicare Part B (all physician and most outpatient services) is not mandatory but beneficiaries are financially coerced to enroll. The standard 2019 Part B premium amount is $135.50 per month, progressing to $460.50 based on...