Dems say House GOP budget would cut Medicare immediately

Rep. Paul Ryan's (R-Wis.) plan to turn Medicare into a voucher system wouldn't kick in until 2022 — but Democrats say seniors would lose Medicare benefits immediately because Ryan's budget would also repeal healthcare reform.
   
Ryan has scolded Democrats for their criticism of his Medicare proposal, which would convert the program into subsidies for private insurance, accusing them of scaring seniors into fearing cuts that won't affect them.

That defense is "flat-out false," Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) said at a press conference Thursday.

In addition to revamping Medicare, Ryan's budget proposal calls for repealing Democrats' healthcare reform law. Democratic senators and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius argued that, together, those provisions of the budget would lead to immediate cuts as well as long-term pain for seniors.

"The Ryan plan dismantles everything," Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) said. "I don't know what was in his head. I think it was just numbers."

Democrats didn't draw sharp distinctions between the effects of repealing healthcare reform and the effects of Ryan's proposal to overhaul Medicare, often referring to the overall impact of the "Ryan plan" or the "Ryan budget."

Immediate benefit cuts, namely to coverage for preventive services and the reopening of the "doughnut hole" in prescription drug coverage, would stem from the healthcare repeal. 

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