Here’s what the presidential campaigns have to say about the candidates’ health-care proposals:
“President Obama’s massive government takeover of our health-care system has been a disaster. The law will drive up the cost of care, cut $716 billion from Medicare and raise taxes on middle-income families and small businesses.
“Obamacare has not solved our health-care problems, it has made them worse.
“Gov. Romney is committed to repealing this law in its entirety. And he will replace it with reforms that focus on making health care more affordable and ensuring every American can find a plan that fits their needs.”
Allie Brandenburger
Romney campaign spokeswoman
“Time and time again, Mitt Romney has pledged to repeal Obamacare without offering a plan to replace it. And that’s because he just doesn’t have a clue about the struggles middle-class families face when they don’t have health insurance. If he did, he wouldn’t claim that all Americans with pre-existing conditions would be covered under his plan when, in fact, 89 million Americans who’ve had gaps in coverage would be left out. And if he did, he wouldn’t claim that the emergency room is a legitimate form of care for the uninsured when, in fact, ER visits force uninsured Americans into bankruptcy each year and increase costs for everyone else by thousands of dollars.
“The fact of the matter is that millions of people are already being helped by the Affordable Care Act and millions more will benefit in the years to come. But Mitt Romney pledged to repeal Obamacare on Day One of his presidency and replace it with a patchwork of tired GOP talking points.
“His proposals don’t address the underlying problems in the health-care system and, if implemented, would mean more people without health insurance, fewer consumer protections, and higher costs for all of us. When it comes to what middle-class families are facing, Mitt Romney just doesn’t get it.”
Jessica Kershaw
press secretary
Obama for America-Ohio