Will Self-driving Cars Be Covered by Medicare?

A Waymo Self-Driving Car (photo: Grendelkhan)

What to do when your new car is six months old? Take it to a pediatrician naturally. Now that we're on the verge of having a first generation of self-driving cars, it's necessary to bring them to the kinds of specialists who are equipped to handle their condition. For instance, you'll probably want to take a self-driving car that’s having problems with fluids to a urologist. If your self-driving car is stalling or having trouble starting you’ll want to see a cardiologist and any trouble with the computer system will inevitably lead to neurology. Obviously if your self-driving vehicle gets into an accident you'll have it triaged in an emergency room and any body work will require a visit to an orthopedist. You may even want to arrange to get a full body scan of your self-driving car at the Mayo Clinic. You may throw up your hands and ask, “am I going to have to take my self-driving car to a dentist? Will my self-driving car require a therapist when it has to scratch its head due to traffic problems?” Pets are like people, but is the fact that cars have graduated to being independent entities which no longer require a driver or even destination, qualify them for Medicare instead of the collision coverage that most vehicles still command? Will problems with the systems of self-driving cars be covered under the Affordable Care Act? Even though self-driving cars will eliminate the human element and perhaps the chance for human error, it’s important to remember that there’s a price to be paid for independence.