Healthcare

Kaiser: Vouchercare Means Higher Premiums

The Kaiser Family Foundation took a veiled swipe at the Romney campaign today behind the cloak of a disclaimer, concluding that 60 percent of Medicare recipients would see higher premiums under a privatized system. A system similar to the one Romney is running on.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Nearly six in 10 Medicare recipients would pay higher premiums under a hypothetical privatized system, with wide regional differences leading to big hikes in some states and counties, a study released Monday finds.

The study carried a prominent disclaimer that it should not be taken as an analysis of the Romney-Ryan proposal, partly because their plan lacks specifics. However, Kaiser says the approach it modeled is similar to what Romney and Ryan propose.

The Romney campaign is echoing the disclaimer contained in the Kaiser study and claiming that you shouldn't associate this study with Romney's healthcare plan because his healthcare plan isn't specific enough to draw conclusions from.

That's convenient, isn't it? Is there an echo in here? Romney's tax plan lacks specifics too.

Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan appear to be sticking by their plan to privatize Medicare if they're elected, and according to the Kaiser study privatizing Medicare would lead to higher premiums. If Team Romney wants to dispel the study's findings, they should offer specifics.

Don't hold your breath waiting.