Friday, October 19, 2012

Second presidential debate focuses little on healthcare


A prominent feature of the first presidential debate, healthcare was barely mentioned in the second of three presidential debates – and the last scheduled to focus on both domestic and foreign policy.  The two candidates focused heavily on other domestic issues such as jobs, taxes, energy, and immigration policy. 

Instead, of discussing it directly, the candidates wove healthcare—albeit slightly—into answers to questions on other topics. For instance, the president mentioned contraceptive coverage under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act as well as funding for Planned Parenthood during a discussion of income inequalities between men and women in the workplace.
President Obama argued that Romney “feels comfortable having politicians in Washington decide the healthcare choices that women are making.” 

Obama said that his healthcare bill requires insurance companies to provide contraceptive coverage to everyone who is insured because the issue is not just a health issue, but also an economic one.
"When Gov. Romney says that we should eliminate funding for Planned Parenthood: There are millions of women all across the country who rely on Planned Parenthood for not just contraceptive care, they rely on it for mammograms, for cervical cancer screenings…that's a pocketbook issue for women and families all across the country, and it makes a difference in terms of how well and effectively women are able to work."

Romney said Obamacare has hurt the middle class and deterred small businesses from hiring new employees.  Romney said of Obama and Obamacare that “[Obama] said he'd reform Medicare and Social Security—he hasn't even made a proposal for either one…he said middle-income families would have a reduction in their health insurance premiums, it's gone up by $2,500 a year.”
“If Obamacare is implemented fully, it will be another $2,500 on top. The middle class is getting crushed under the policies of a president who has not understood what it takes to get the economy working again.”

The candidates will meet for the final debate Oct. 22 at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Fla., to discuss foreign policy.
Read the original article from ModernHealthcare.com here. The article requires readers create a free profile for the site.

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