Even If ‘Medicare For All’ Beats The Long Political Odds Stacked Against It, The Legal Battles Beyond Might Kill It
“I can imagine a situation like the ACA with folks who are ideologically opposed suing just because they don’t want to go into this system — in addition to industry groups,” said Katie Keith, a law professor and researcher with Georgetown University’s Center on Health Insurance Reforms. “There could be a death by a thousand lawsuits approach.” Meanwhile, the American Medical Association is being pressured to support a "Medicare for All" plan.
Politico:
‘Death By A Thousand Lawsuits’: The Legal Battles That Could Dog ‘Medicare For All’
The road to health reform always ends up under a pile of lawsuits. “Medicare for All” would be no different. Championed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and other progressive Democrats, Medicare for All faces enormous political obstacles — not the least of which is a major industry lobbying effort against the plan and anything that resembles it. But should it ever become law, it would also invite constitutional challenges. Just like the lawsuits targeting Obamacare — not to mention the blue state challenges against all sorts of Trump administration anti-Obamacare initiatives — the legal battles could directly threaten or undermine the new system for many years. (Tahir and Ollstein, 6/10)
Chicago Tribune:
'Medicare For All'? American Medical Association Says No, Drawing Protest In Chicago.
Doctors gathered in Chicago for the American Medical Association’s annual meeting this week are increasingly finding themselves at the uncomfortable center of a national debate over “Medicare for All.” A group of doctors, nurses and medical students protested the meeting, criticizing the association’s opposition to Medicare for All — the idea of expanding Medicare to cover all Americans. And on Monday, the doctors at the meeting heard a speech by Seema Verma, head of the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, a Trump appointee who devoted a chunk of her talk to what she sees as problems with the proposal. (Schencker, 6/10)
