AP: Romney proposal would privatize part of Medicare

[Pirate Smile]

Romney proposal would privatize part of Medicare

By STEVE PEOPLES
The Associated Press

EXETER, N.H. — Mitt Romney is tackling one of the 2012 presidential contest's most delicate issues today.
The Republican presidential hopeful and former Massachusetts governor has released a broad plan to transform Medicare, the popular health-insurance program for the elderly. He addressed the lightning-rod issue and other spending cuts during a fiscal policy speech before an afternoon gathering of conservative activists at the Washington Convention Center, where the tea party-allied group Americans for Prosperity is holding a two-day event.

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On Medicare, Romney's plan is remarkably similar to the controversial proposal released by Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan earlier in the year. Romney hasn't finalized many details, but he would offer future Medicare recipients an effective voucher to spend on private insurance or a version of the traditional program.

"The idea instead is to set the Medicare payment to provide each senior with money that they can go out use to go and buy a plan," a senior Romney adviser said before the speech. "In that respect, it's exactly the same exact thing as a Ryan plan."
The campaign couldn't say how much the change would save taxpayers. But a host of unrelated cuts would trim as much as a half trillion dollars over four years, he said.

-snip-
Romney favors raising the retirement age for younger workers and limiting increases for wealthier recipients. And on Medicare, he says the government would issue a voucher, or "premium support," to seniors to purchase their own plan.
"There would be a premium support level that governor Romney I think would describe as generous and appropriate that hasn't been determined yet," a Romney adviser said Friday.


http://www.ajc.com/news/nation-world/romney-proposal-would-privatize-1217069.html

[msongs]

1. the filthy rich taking health care away from the middle class elderly while democrats go along... n

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

2. Mods: Move from GDPresidency to GDFantasy.

thanks