HEATING UP

Medicare Broils Debaters’ Tempers

Obama slams Romney’s use of word ‘entitlements.’

The candidates dove into the controversial issue of Medicare Wednesday night. Obama started with the personal story of his grandmother, who used the program and cites it as the reason she could be independent. In a possible nod to Romney’s 47 percent gaffe, the president attacked Romney’s use of the word “entitlements” which he said “implies some sense of dependency on the part of these folks… like my grandmother.” Romney retorted with his plan for more competition within the medical field, and giving consumers choice to pick the plan best suited for them. Obama shot back, giving a plug to Obamacare—a term he’s “become fond of.” Romney replied that his program, which would operate through private companies, is taking an idea “that came from Bill Clinton’s chief of staff.”