Obama vs Romney on Medicare

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - The US population is aging, and both Medicare and Social Security face more pressure as Americans reach retirement age.

This week, both President Obama and GOP nominee Mitt Romney weighed in on the issue. As part of our continuing coverage, 24 Hour News 8 takes a look at what they're really saying.

The president is counting on health care reform to backfill for Medicare. "The Affordable Care Act is helping people with Medicare save on the care they need to stay healthy, from free preventive services to lower costs on prescription drugs and monthly premiums," it states on the Obama campaign website.

Romney has promised to repeal the Affordable Care Act - aka, Obamacare -- and on his website is a detailed outline of what he'd do with Medicare.

"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 are high-propensity voters. In swing states like Florida, their view of who best will take care of those programs may have a big impact on how they cast their vote.