medicare for all — Blog

I like the idea of Medicare for All or some other system that ensures that everyone in the country has access to affordable healthcare. But I also worry a lot about the implications of turning our healthcare coverage over to the legislature.

Today, because of the Hyde Amendment, Medicare can only cover abortion services in cases of rape/incest or danger to the life of the person who is pregnant (https://www.medicare.org/articles/does-medicare-cover-abortion/). While a Public Option or Medicare for All bill should definitely try to repeal the Hyde Amendment putting healthcare coverage under control of the legislature while we have a 5-4 conservative Supreme Court would make it relatively easy for Republicans to eliminate coverage for abortion services (or addiction counseling or HIV care) nationally.

Leaving reproductive healthcare in the hands of private insurance and making people pay extra to have that coverage isn't something I like either - at all - but a system that at least allows for supplemental insurance for abortion services would hold off the ability to completely legislate abortion out of the US. Under a Medicare for All system, where the only available private insurance is for “luxury” services (cosmetic surgery) and reproductive healthcare seems like a market that ends up unaffordable to the people who need the coverage or possibly just non-existent.

I honestly don’t know where I fall on this, but I’m interested in people’s opinions.