Breaking down where the Republican candidates for president stand on health reform

At this point it’s fairly clear who the players are in the Republican Party’s race for the US presidential nomination. Though most of the public, at least on the outset, knows the candidates by name, very few know their specific positions on healthcare. Since healthcare is a topic that dominated much of President Obama’s first term, we can be sure that the candidates’ past positions will be discussed greatly. Each of the candidates has come out saying they would like to repeal the Affordable Care Act, but where do they stand on Medicare and Medicaid? Let’s take a look at a few of the top tier GOP prospects.

Mitt Romney - Ignoring the fact that Romney passed the Massachusetts version of healthcare reform, the former governor has made many statements with regard to his current positions on the matter. Romney has supported Congressman Paul Ryan’s healthcare proposal, which transforms Medicaid into a block grant program and develops Medicare into a system more reliant on vouchers. Though he has also said that if elected, he will put forward his own proposal to tackle Social Security and Medicare. Romney refuses to cut into the benefits that current seniors hold.

Rick Perry - As the conservative favorite in the race, Perry has proclaimed that the 10th Amendment allows states to opt out of the Medicare program and should begin creating their system to support seniors. Recently calling Medicare and Medicaid a so-called “Ponzi scheme,” Perry has made his distaste for such government-funded programs clear and will run on a platform of drastically changing these entitlements.

Michelle Bachman - Another conservative favorite, Bachman voted for the Ryan budget plan, but has since backtracked her support of the proposal’s Medicaid changes. Known to support the notion that the healthcare reform package would foster “death panels,” Bachman supports cutting Medicare benefits for those under 55, and has voted against allowing drug companies the ability to negotiate with the government, as she believes it would create unfair price controls.

Ron Paul - The libertarian and dark horse in the presidential race, Paul believes Medicare and Medicaid are unwarranted expansions of the federal government. He is a former physician who refused to partake in the Medicare program, and believes the entitlements are draining America’s financial strength and is in support of weaning a younger generation into free market healthcare programs. In return, he also believes that America should reduce defense spending and focus that extra money on funding Medicare for the elderly generation who still uses the program.

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