Obamacare acutally protects seniors

To the Editor:

I am sure that all of us share Donna Mae Miles' concern about her friend who has beginning kidney failure (Banner Graphic, Friday, Aug. 10). It is not true, however, that Obamacare (The Affordable Care Act) makes it so that her friend will not receive coverage.

Not only will Obamacare continue all present coverage for seniors under Medicare it will expand coverage to some 30-40 million other Americans. This means that many others of our friends who might currently find themselves facing kidney failure without medical coverage will now be covered.

On the other hand the medical plan put forth by Gov. Romney's running mate Paul Ryan does away with Medicare as we know it. Instead of providing guaranteed coverage like current Medicare it will give seniors a voucher to buy private insurance with no guarantee that they will find a plan that will cover them or that the voucher will cover their costs.

In fact the Congressional Budget Office, a group that favors neither Democrats or Republicans, estimates that seniors will pay an additional $6,400 a year by 2022 on the Ryan-Romney plan (N.Y. Times, Aug. 13).

Seniors should be very concerned about the fate of Medicare but Obama does care and Medicare is protected in his proposals. Medicare will be radically changed for the worse on the Ryan-Romney plan. Find out the facts and then vote.

Carl Huffman

Greencastle