The President continued, “The idea is that we would give a voucher to seniors and they could go out in the private marketplace and buy their own health insurance.”
According to Pres. Obama, “the voucher wouldn’t necessarily keep up with health care inflation.” Pointing out how this might affect Medicare recipients’ bottom line, the President continued, “It was estimated that this would cost the average senior about $6000 a year.”
Pres. Obama acknowledged that Gov. Romney doesn’t plan to scrap traditional Medicare altogether. Romney, the President pointed out, plans to maintain traditional Medicare alongside his proposed voucher plan. But while Romney presented his Medicare proposals as an opportunity for future seniors “either to choose the current Medicare program or a private plan—their choice,” Pres. Obama argued that “private insurance has to make a profit”” and “when you move to a voucher system, you are putting seniors at the mercy of those insurance companies.”
The President suggested that, under the Romney-Ryan plan, private insurance companies will seek out younger, healthier seniors, “leaving the older, sicker seniors in Medicare” and potentially spelling an end for traditional Medicare. “Every healthcare economist who looks at it says over time what’ll happen is the traditional Medicare system will collapse,” the President said.
But Romney vehemently denied the President’s assertion that his, Romney’s, dual-track plan would spell the end for traditional Medicare.
“With regards to young people coming along, I’ve got proposals to make sure Medicare and Social Security are there for them without any question,” Romney said.
Romney was especially careful to reassure current and near retirees that his Medicare proposals will in no way affect the benefits they’re receiving or can be expected to receive. “What I support,” he said, “is no change for current retirees and near retirees to Medicare.” Romney went even further to reassure people presumably over 60 that “neither the President nor I are proposing any changes for current retirees or near retirees either to Social Security or Medicare.” Romney backtracked after making that statement, suggesting that the President’s $716 billion reduction in Medicare funding would indeed affect services available to current seniors, but the essence of his position seemed to be that current and near retirees could rest easy knowing that they could continue to depend on the Medicare benefits they’ve been promised and have come to depend on.
Although the first Obama vs Romney debate is widely viewed to have shed little new light on the candidates’ positions regarding Medicare, it did allow a large audience of television viewers to tune in to the healthcare debate already in progress. Both candidates clearly recognize that Medicare reforms are needed for the long term, and both appear intent on assuring people currently receiving Medicare benefits or nearing Medicare eligibility that Medicare will be there for them as promised.
By most accounts, the race has only tightened since the first 2012 Presidential debate. A Fox News poll indicates that the debate was a difference maker, with Romney emerging with a slight lead after trailing the President in recent months. Fox News also reports that, on healthcare issues alone, Pres. Obama holds a minuscule lead of 2 points in voters’ assessment of the candidates’ policies.
A lot can happen in the two remaining Romney vs Obama debates, but it’s reassuring to know seniors can tune in without having to worry about whether they’ll be denied the Medicare benefits they’ve been promised.
Secure in the knowledge that your Medicare benefits are assured, give MedicareMall a call today so the experts can help find the best Medicare supplement or Medicare Advantage coverage for you at the very best price!
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Debate Smackdown – Romney vs Obama on Medicare © 2012 MedicareMall.com