Republicans want to keep Medicare as is

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MENLO PARK, Calif., Aug. 16 (UPI) -- A Kaiser Health poll released Thursday indicates Republicans don't want changes to Medicare and are more concerned with healthcare costs than "Obamacare."

The poll -- conducted Aug. 7-12, before likely GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney selected Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin as his running mate -- showed 67 percent of Republicans named the cost of healthcare and insurance as their top healthcare concern, followed by Medicare (61 percent) and the Affordable Care Act (54 percent). The survey of 1,208 adults had a 3 point margin of error.

A separate Kaiser survey conducted July 25-Aug. 5 in partnership with The Washington Post indicated 55 percent of Republicans would like to keep Medicare as it is rather than turning it into a premium support or voucher program. Nearly half (44 percent) of Republican respondents to the survey said they don't have a "basic understanding" of Romney's healthcare proposals.