Where Do They Stand ?: The Presidential Candidates and Retirement
With Election Day right around the corner, knowing where the candidates stand on retirement is crucial to making informed decisions about the candidate that best protects your interests.
President Obama’s lead has narrowed since the first debate, but Medicare is still one of the areas in which he still comes out on top. But sound bites aren’t enough to make a decision about your financial future. Where do the candidates REALLY stand?
OBAMA:
- Obamacare includes making preventive services free for seniors, including a yearly healthcare check-up
- Cuts Medicare subsidies to insurance companies to keep Medicare solvent until 2024. Insurance companies don’t mind because of the Obamacare Individual Mandate which allows individuals to buy insurance
- Retirees making $85,000 or more will have higher premiums
ROMNEY:
- No change for current retirees
- Medicare is reformed, not defunded. Existing spending is merely repackaged so a fixed amount distributed to each senior so that he or she can purchase insurance
- Insurance purchased through Medicare benefits must provide at least comparable coverage to what Medicare provides today
- Seniors who choose more expensive plans must pay the different between the fixed support amount and the premium price, but those who choose less expensive plans can use any leftover to pay other medical expenses such as co-pays and deductibles
- Lower income seniors will receive support to ensure they can afford coverage
- Repeal ACA, making Medicare insolvent by 2016