Facts and Logic 18. The latest buzz-word amongst the candidates is “Medicare.” Who’s trying to abolish it? Who’s trying to make it more difficult to get? Who’s lying about what they’re going to do with it?
Here’s the actual phrase that you will hear from now until November and perhaps points after:
“A Republican member of Congress voted to end Medicare as we know it."
This “scare” has especially seen light since Romney’s naming congressman Paul Ryan as his running mate.
Wisconsin representative Ryan, had made a 2010 proposal revamping our current Medicare system. Democrats are saying that his plan forces seniors to pay $6,000 more for their medical care. While this is true, Ryan’s plan in 2010 was to keep traditional Medicare for current beneficiaries until 2023, then new beneficiaries would get a choice between private insurance or traditional Medicare with the government offering a stipend for costs.
Mitt Romney’s camp has also made the claim that Obama’s health law "ended Medicare as we know it."
