President Obama, in his regular weekly address, brought back a subject of much contention, Medicare, and also challenged the Republicans on their plans to overhaul the healthcare program to meet the needs of the elderly.
Obama, in speaking of Medicare that continues to evolve under his Presidency, makes his objective clear, in saying, “I’m willing to work with anyone to keep improving the current system, but I refuse to do anything that undermines the basic idea of Medicare as a guarantee for seniors who get sick.”
Ever since Mitt Romney, the Republican Presidential candidate, has picked Paul Ryan as his running mate in the November 2012 election, Medicare has become an issue that has gained in importance for some time.
The reason for focus shifting back to Medicare is because Ryan, being the Chairman of the House of Representatives Budget Committee, has an alternative to the government-run Medicare and which plans to offer vouchers to older (and eligible) Americans to buy private health insurance.
Obama, on the other hand, in his radio address, spoke about his experiences in his younger days that taught him the importance of Medicare, which was run by the government during that time, and how it gave his grandparents peace of mind and was so important in the way it positively impacted their lives in the upkeep of their health.
Elsewhere, Republicans have been running advertisements in the swing states accusing Obama of ‘gutting’ Medicare so as to fund certain aspects of the healthcare overhaul that became law in March 2010.