Pharmacists need to participate and pay closer attention to the Medicare for All discussion

Abstract: It has been a decade since the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) was signed into law. Despite moderate success in increasing insurance coverage, the ACA’s reception remains mixed and discussions of healthcare reform have not abated. Among ongoing efforts to reform or repeal the ACA, ‘Medicare for All’ appears in several prominent policy proposals. Public opinion polls from across the United States (US) have demonstrated growing popularity of reform proposals, which have encouraged legislators to be stronger advocates for such changes. Between 2017 and 2020, the 115th and 116th US Congress introduced over a dozen legislative proposals aimed at healthcare reform. Unfortunately, the variety and nuance of these legislative proposals have resulted in considerable confusion and division across the nation among healthcare providers and patients regarding definitions and implications of Medicare for all. This commentary aims to improve pharmacists’ understanding of Medicare for all, to discuss possible impact of Medicare for all on pharmacy practice, and to serve as a call for US pharmacists to participate in advocacy and reform of the healthcare system in which they practice. We argue that only through proactive participation in legislative advocacy will the pharmacists’ role in patient care continue to evolve. This brief commentary is divided into five major sections: (1) support for Medicare for all; (2) definitions of existing Medicare for all policy proposals; (3) estimation of the impact of Medicare for all proposals on the healthcare system; (4) providing the pharmacist perspective to the impact of Medicare for all; and (5) recommendations for pharmacy practice and advocacy.