Romney, Now 65, Won’t Enroll In Medicare
Instead, GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney will buy private health insurance. News reports describe this step as Romney's effort to make a political point. He supports transforming Medicare into a premium support program and has taken the position that wealthier seniors should pay more for their Medicare benefits.
The Wall Street Journal's Washington Wire: Romney Isn't Signing Up For Medicare
The newly 65-year-old presidential candidate Mitt Romney isn't enrolling in Social Security and he's not signing up for Medicare, either, a campaign aide said Monday. Mr. Romney will keep his private health insurance plan, the aide said, without elaborating on whether he accessed that plan through a former employer or purchased it on the individual market (Radnofsky, 3/12).
Politico: Mitt Romney Won't Sign Up For Medicare
The decision puts Romney in a tiny minority. A vast majority of seniors choose to participate in Medicare. Nearly all seniors are automatically enrolled in Medicare Part A, which covers hospital care. But they can choose not to use it (Haberkorn, 3/12).
Boston Globe: Mitt Romney Turns 65, Will Not Enroll In Medicare
Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, who celebrated his 65th birthday Monday, does not plan to enroll in Medicare, the federal senior health care program he has pledged to change if elected president. The Republican frontrunner has proposed offering seniors "premium support" — money they could use to pay for Medicare or for private insurance. Wealthy seniors, like Romney, would receive less government assistance than those of more modest means (Borchers, 3/12).
NPR's SHOTS blog: Romney Says No Thanks To Medicare
Romney is clearly making a political point. Wealthy people like him ought to pay more for their Medicare benefits (if they get them at all) and that perhaps 65 is a little young to qualify, too. "Wealthier seniors will receive less support," under the changes Romney is proposing for Medicare, according to his website. At the same time, he is proposing to "gradually raise the retirement age to reflect increases in longevity" (Rovner, 3/12).
Also on the campaign trail, Newt Gingrich launches a new web video -
The Hill: Gingrich Ad: Romney 'Can't Beat Obama' Because Of Health Care
Mitt Romney "can't beat Obama" because of the similarities in their healthcare laws, Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich said in a Web video Monday. Gingrich and former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) have argued before that Romney won't be able to draw a sharp contrast with President Obama on healthcare. The new ad, though, goes further than simply arguing that Gingrich would be stronger on the issue, and claims that Romney would lose a general-election match-up (Baker, 3/12).
