Did you hear what we're going to do to seniors?
A
new study from Families USA analyzes Obamacare versus Romneycare as implemented in Massachusetts versus 2012 RomneyCandidateCare, as they call it, to see what they would mean for health care nationally and in individual states. Their ultimate finding is that:
RomneyCandidateCare, compared to ObamaCare, would substantially increase the number of uninsured people across the nation; would leave millions of middle-class, working families with considerably higher out-of-pocket health care costs; and would take away significant preventive and prescription drug services for seniors and people with disabilities who rely on Medicare. [...]
RomneyCandidateCare represents an enormous difference in the direction of health care in the United States compared to both RomneyCare and ObamaCare. As our analysis demonstrates, especially in terms of cost and coverage, RomneyCandidateCare would place a growing and unsustainable burden on America’s families. That burden would make health coverage and care unaffordable for a huge portion of our nation’s middle-class and moderate-income families, thereby resulting in more and more people joining the ranks of the uninsured.
Families USA predicts the number of uninsured under RomneyCandidateCare to rise to 60 million. The repeal of Obamacare would mean millions ineligible for insurance, either because of cost or pre-existing conditions. Romney the candidate would also turn Medicaid into a block grant program, with less money going to states and more people kicked off of it. The repeal of Obamacare would also mean the end to preventive care without co-pays and the Medicare prescription drug donut hole opening back up, all of which means more out-of-pocket spending for those with health insurance.
Additionally, one of the plans Romney touts is tax deductions rather than tax credits to subsidize the purchase of health insurance. Tax credits are an actual reduction in the total taxes workers pay, as opposed to what they can claim as a deductible, reaching fewer Americans and providing them with less subsidies.
- Under ObamaCare, 20.3 million Americans purchasing individual health coverage would receive help with the cost of health insurance premiums in 2016 through tax credits.
- Under RomneyCandidateCare, fewer than half as many Americans (fewer than 10.1 million people) would receive help with premiums through tax deductions.
Families USA estimates that the size of the average premium tax credit would be 70 percent higher under ObamaCare than it would be under RomneyCandidateCare.
More uninsured, more expensive health care, less protection for seniors; that's what Romney/Ryan has to offer.