The Mediscare war has returned.
On Thursday, President Barack Obama's reelection campaign released a new TV ad called "Preserving," which contrasts the president's plan for Medicare with that of Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney and his running mate, Paul Ryan.
"It's true -- Mitt Romney would replace Medicare's guaranteed benefits with a voucher system," says the ad's narrator. "The Romney-Ryan plan could raise seniors' costs up to $6,400 a year."
The new commercial cites Ryan's controversial 2011 budget plan, which proposed turning Medicare into a voucher-like program. Since then, the Wisconsin congressman has modified the proposal to include an option for traditional Medicare alongside private plans.
Romney has said on multiple occasions that he supports the Ryan budget, stating in an August interview that his and Ryan's plans for Medicare are "the same, if not identical ... probably close to identical."
Obama's campaign said the spot will begin airing Friday in Colorado, Florida and Iowa.
Earlier on Thursday, the Romney campaign issued its own Medicare ad, featuring Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), but the campaign did not specify where the commercial would run.
Amanda Henneberg, a spokeswoman for the Romney campaign, issued the following statement in response to Obama's ad: "This is another false ad in an attempt to cover up the fact that President Obama is the only candidate who has robbed $716 billion from Medicare to pay for Obamacare. President Obama has done nothing to reform Medicare for the long-term and prevent it from going bankrupt. Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan have a plan to preserve Medicare for today's seniors and strengthen it for future retirees."
This story has been updated with comment from the Romney campaign.
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