I Am a Victim of Patient Suppression

It’s like voter suppression. Only it took place at medical offices.

Yesterday I had my blood tested, and today I had a CT scan.

In both places, I was required to show a driver’s license – or, I assume, some equivalent form of identification.

Just as North Caroline voters will have to do in 2016.

On my recent vacation, I had to show ID to rent a car and board an airplane. I recently had to show ID to pick up a prescription at a pharmacy.

I’ve had to show ID to buy beer, when it is undeniable I am way, way over 21 years of age.

The Left has been howling about this requirement all summer, complaining it is voter suppression, etc. My experiences merely reminded me of a point we at Civitas have been making for some time: You have to have ID to be part of society today. You not only need to have one to board an airplane, you will also need one if you want to ride an Amtrak train.

To get Social Security card, you must provide ID.

Then to collect those benefits, a new law mandates that you receive your payments electronically.

But the Patriot Act requires you to … show identification to open a bank account.

NC authorities say that to apply for Medicaid:  “If possible, take the items listed below with you when you go to the DSS office to apply. If you do not have some or all of these items, please apply anyway because it is very important to protect your application date.”

Those documents include:

• Certified birth certificates or other proof of citizenship/alien status for each individual applying for Medicaid/NCHC

• Identity documents for each individual applying for Medicaid/NCHC
• Social security cards, social security numbers, or proof that you have made an application for a number from the Social Security Office, for each individual applying for Medicaid or NCHC
• A copy of all pay stubs for last month
• Copies of all medical or life insurance policies
• A list of all cars, trucks, motorcycles, boats, etc. you or anyone in your household own, including the year, make, model, and vehicle identification number (VIN) for each item
• Most recent bank statements
• A list of all real property you own
• Current financial statements/award letters from other sources of income, such as social security, retirement benefits, pensions, veteran benefits, and child support.

A quick Web search will turn up plenty of other activities that require ID. Skeptics might keep track of how often they must show ID over the course of a month.

In short, everyone needs ID to take part in society. People without identification can’t get medical care or social service benefits. Someone who can’t produce basic ID is therefore far outside the mainstream of society. If there are such people, they really need help – but they can’t get it without ID.

If our friends on the Left really cared about the truly needy, they would welcome the chance to provide these essential documents to those who need them. And they have about three years to do so.

But the Left doesn’t talk about helping the needy get ID. That offers two possibilities: (1) There are no such people, or (2) the Left doesn’t really care about helping the needy, but only about using them to play political games.

Photo from dmv.org.