Romney's solution to Obamacare is Obamacare

Submitted by Jim Kauffman on Tue, 08/14/2012 - 15:21

In a televised speech the Republican nominee was quick to promise a repeal of "Obamacare" on his first day in office identifying it as "Bad Policy". Mitt Romney goes on to identify the problems with President Obama's Affordable Care Act. The complete speech is available here.

Comparing quotes with facts

Obamacare raises taxes on the American people by approximately five hundred billion dollars.

This claim is right up there with the 16,000 IRS agents and "Death Panels". The president's health care plan does not call for any new IRS agents and the section that is often cited as "Death Panels" is actually legislation allowing doctors to be paid for end-of-life counseling.

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that the Affordable Care Act will reduce the federal deficit by $130 billion by 2019 and $1.2 trillion over the next ten years.

Obamacare cuts Medicare cuts Medicare by approximately five hundred billion dollars . . .

This part is somewhat true. Much of the funding for the Affordable Healthcare Act will come, in part, from trimming off a wasteful part of medicare called "Medicare Advantage" and by controlling the cost of services paid for by Medicare. Medicare Advantage is a program that allows seniors to spend their medicare funds on private insurance and costs Americans 12% more than comparable care under traditional Medicare. This program cost Americans an additional $14 billion last year and the payments will be reduced gradually until costs are aligned with those of traditional Medicare.

. . . Obamacare adds trillions to our deficit and our national debt.

This part of Mitt Romney's speech appears to be completely unfounded. Indeed, the Congressional Budget Office predicts that the Affordable Care Act will reduce the deficit by billions.

. . . up to twenty million Americans, they will lose the insurance that they currently have.

According to the Democratic staff of the Ways and Means Committee this claim is "patently false". The CBO was made to analyze an unrealistic Republican-created alternative scenario and then criticized the scenario as highly unlikely. They go on to say that any loss in employer-provided healthcare would be more than offset by the 30+ million who be newly insured through the exchanges and Medicaid.

Obamacare is a job killer.

Romney cites a flawed survey from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in which 74% of those surveyed report that they will be less likely to hire. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce announced voter education blitz in May and explained that "Ads Will Promote Leaders Who Fight for Free Enterprise, Hold Accountable Those Who Stand for Big Government". The most important fact in their survey is that 94% of those surveyed "cite the Chamber’s voter education efforts as important.”

And perhaps most troubling of all: Obamacare puts the Federal Government between you and your doctor

The Affordable Care Act mandates that most residents in America obtain health insurance, but the insurance companies and hospitals are still privately run. According to Politifact this is a different version of Romney's broader statements about a government takeover. The Affordable Care Act does not provide for "Death Panels" or rationing.

Romney then goes on to propose a replacement for the Affordable Care Act which includes these key features and all are already included the Affordable Care Act:

  • People who want to keep their current insurance will be able to do so.
  • Ensure that those with preexisting conditions can obtain health insurance.
  • Ensure that every American has access to Affordable Healthcare.
  • Lower the cost of healthcare and health insurance.


In conclusion

This healthcare cost debate should be a major wake-up call for Americans. The privatized healthcare industry has programmed us to believe that socialized medicine is more expensive and less effective than the American healthcare system. The truth is that Americans pay more for health care than any other industrialized country and rank 37th in health care delivery. Americans pay 60% more than the next most expensive county--Norway--without enjoying near the quality of healthcare that Norwegians do.

America is late in providing socialized healthcare. The time to implement a government healthcare program was when the other countries were doing it just after World War II, but it isn't too late.

Socialized healthcare is not the purpose of President Obama's plan. The Affordable Care Act delivers millions of American customers to the private healthcare industry.

A long discussion on the topic of healthcare is in order. It should start with the understanding that Romney and Obama are on the same side of the fence and that the grass is greener on the other side.