On Wednesday Sen. Bernie Sanders (Socialist, Vt.) rolled out this year’s version of his draft legislation to abolish traditional Medicare. He calls it “Medicare for All” because polls tell him that voters don’t want to abolish traditional Medicare. Voters also don’t want him to destroy the U.S. system of private medical insurance, but his plan would do that, too. A key question raised by the new bill is whether patients, doctors and nurses would be able to escape the new government-run system when it fails to provide needed care—as such systems always do.

Calling it “Medicare for All” is not the only deception. One section of his bill, entitled “Freedom of Choice,” includes the following text:

Any individual entitled to benefits under this Act may obtain health services from any institution, agency, or individual qualified to participate under this Act.

In other words, you are free to choose any doctor the federal government allows you to choose. On at least one point, Mr. Sanders is being honest. He’s not even trying to sell the Obama whopper that patients will get to keep the plans and the doctors they like.

Speaking of the private health plans that roughly half the country now enjoys, the legislative text from Mr. Sanders makes it clear that they would be put out of business. Also, employers can not operate their own plans to compete with the government plan. Section 107 of the draft bill states that once the plan is fully implemented:

...it shall be unlawful for—

(1) a private health insurer to sell health insurance coverage that duplicates the benefits provided under this Act; or

(2) an employer to provide benefits for an employee, former employee, or the dependents of an employee or former employee that duplicate the benefits provided under this Act.

And while politicians in Washington continue to roast Wells Fargo for opening accounts without the knowledge of customers, this will be standard operating procedure for the new government insurance plan. The legislation calls for “the automatic enrollment of individuals at the time of birth in the United States or upon the establishment of residency in the United States.”