Romney: Views on Healthcare, Medicare, Housing and Energy; Where Does He Stand?

With less than a month to go before the presidential election day, where each candidate stands on the issues concerning American voters is becoming increasingly important to know.  

In the past two weeks, Latinos Post has discussed where Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney stands on the issues of gun control, birth control and gay rights, as well as abortion, education, social security and taxes.

Today, Romney's stance on healthcare, Medicare, housing and energy is discussed.

Healthcare

Perhaps one of the most highly debated issues between Romney and President Barack Obama is healthcare. The two candidates differ greatly in the way they approach they issue and differ on how they view the future of healthcare.

According to his website, "On his first day in office, Mitt Romney will issue an executive order that paves the way for the federal government to issue Obamacare waivers to all fifty states. He will then work with Congress to repeal the full legislation as quickly as possible."

Romney believes that healthcare should be an issue dealt at a state level rather than a federal level and according to his website, "In place of Obamacare, Mitt will pursue policies that give each state the power to craft a health care reform plan that is best for its own citizens. The federal government's role will be to help markets work by creating a level playing field for competition."

Despite asserting that Obama's healthcare plan, or Obamacare, would cost families more than his plan, two studies by traditionally pro-Obamacare organizations say that Romney's plan will not only cost families more but that fewer people would be covered. HuffPost Business reported that the studies found Romney's plan would leave 72 million Americans uninsured and would cost families almost double of what Obamacare would cost them.  

Medicare

Another hot issue, Medicare is among the central issue surrounding Romney's plan to restructure America's entitlement programs. Similarly to what he plans to do with social security, Romney plans to insure Medicare for current seniors or those nearing retirement and change Medicare for future generations, his website states.

According to the GOP candidate's website, "Medicare is reformed as a premium support system, meaning that existing spending is repackaged as a fixed-amount benefit to each senior that he or she can use to purchase an insurance plan." Seniors would have the option to choose more expensive plans, the website states, but they will have out-of-pocket cost to make up the difference between the support amount and the premium price.

Under Romney's plan, low-income seniors would also receive more federal support than high-income seniors would, the website states.

Housing

During the first presidential debate in Denver, both Romney and Obama barely discussed the struggling housing market. Despite asserting that his housing plan differs from Obama's, Romney's plan is relatively in line with policies instilled by the Obama administration, the Washington Post reports.

According to his website, Romney has a four-part plan to end the housing crisis. These include:  1) "Responsibly sell the 200,000 vacant foreclosed homes owned by the government"; 2) "Facilitate foreclosure alternatives for those who cannot afford to pay their mortgages"; 3) "Replace complex rules with smart regulation to hold banks accountable, restore a functioning marketplace and restart lending to creditworthy borrowers"; and 4) "Protect taxpayers from additional risk in the future by reforming Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac."

The Washington Post claims that this plan is already being pursued by the Obama administration. The two also agree that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have to be reformed, but differ as to when this should happen.

Energy

Last Wednesday in Denver, the Republican candidate appeared to be against the "green energy" policies instilled by the Obama administration. His belief that Obama is wasting money on these green initiatives is highlighted on his website.

According to his website, "Mitt Romney will make America an energy superpower, rapidly and responsibly increasing our own production and partnering with our allies Canada and Mexico to achieve energy independence on this continent by 2020. This will require genuine support for increased energy production, a more rational approach to regulation, and a government that facilitates private-sector-led development of new energy technologies by focusing on funding research and removing barriers, rather than chasing fads and picking winners and losers."

This plan includes empowering states to control onshore energy development, opening offshore areas for energy development, approving the Keystone XL pipeline, ensuring "accurate assessment of energy resources," reforming environmental laws and regulations, and facilitating private-sector-led developments.