That is what readers of his column touting Mitt Romney’s Medicare plan would likely believe. Romney’s plan calls for allowing people to opt for private insurers instead of the traditional Medicare system. This is already allowed, with beneficiaries being allowed to sign up with private insurers under the Medicare Advantage program. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that Medicare Advantage raises the per person cost by 5-10 percent.

The main difference between the existing Medicare Advantage program and the plan being pushed by Romney is that Romney would provide a voucher that would not be large enough to cover the full cost of the existing Medicare program.