If Romney becomes president and repeals the Affordable Care Act as promised, then retirement would cost $11,100 more for the average 65-year-old and $18,600 more for the average 55-year-old because of higher Medicare premiums and drug costs, according to a report from Harvard economist David Cutler, an Obamacare architect, and the Center for American Progress.
What’s more, seniors on Medicare who depend on Medicaid would need to pay more than $2,500 more per year because of planned Medicaid cuts.
Romney’s plan would cost younger Americans even more, since Romney and Ryan want to turn Medicare into a voucher system for Americans under 55 for when they qualify for Medicare. The report estimates that 48-year-olds would have to pay $124,600 more for Medicare during retirement under Romney’s plan, 39-year-olds would have to pay $216,600 more during retirement, and 29-year-olds would have to pay $331,200 more during retirement in total. That’s because the vouchers would not keep up with rising health care costs. For those 29-year-olds, the extra costs would consume 62 percent of their lifetime Social Security benefits.
MORE: Romney-Ryan Medicare Plan Would Cost 29-Year-Olds $331,200: Report.