Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Dr. Abdul El-Sayed outlined a three-step path to Medicare for All, saying the goal is “great Medicare for everyone.”
In a post on X on Sunday, El-Sayed shared a clip from his interview with The New York Times on Friday. “Here’s how we get Medicare for All done,” he wrote.
Three-Step Plan
In the post, El-Sayed listed the steps: “Make Medicare whole (no one can keep all the parts straight!),” “Include vision, dental, and hearing” and “Begin extending to more people, starting with children.” He wrote that this leads to “Medicare for All, which means great Medicare for everyone.”
In the clip, El-Sayed said that even if Medicare for All passed in January 2029, “the steps would be the same because you’re not going to, there’s no light switch in the White House that turns on Medicare for all.”
He said Medicare is “extremely porous,” with seniors complaining about “all these different parts” and no coverage for vision, dental and hearing. He noted many seniors are in Medicare Advantage plans and “they like them,” adding, “that would be hard to take away.”
El-Sayed said the fix would be a full Part D and vision, dental and hearing coverage, with zero copay, deductible and premium. “If you offered that as traditional Medicare, the speed with which everybody would jump from Advantage would turn your head,” he said.
Extending Eligibility
The second step, El-Sayed said, is extending Medicare to more people. “I think kids are obvious,” he said, describing children as “uncommonly healthy” and, when not healthy, “very sick.”
He said eligibility would then move down from 65 to 60 and “down into the 50s.” He added: “What I’m articulating is great Medicare for everyone.”
Original Medicare’s Coverage Gaps
Original Medicare generally does not cover routine dental care, eye exams for prescription glasses or hearing aids, and Part B generally carries a monthly premium. Some retirees buy Medigap coverage to help with deductibles and coinsurance.
In June, the Office of Inspector General at the Department of Health and Human Services found Medicare Advantage insurers denied about 13% of requests for skilled nursing facility care in June 2024. Nearly all denials that were appealed were later approved.
Disclaimer: This content was produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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